Hiking a Long-Distance Mountain Trail

Sometimes, coming face to face with ourselves can feel uncomfortable, but I don’t believe this encounter necessarily has to happen while walking or taking a break along a long-distance mountain trail. It could happen while queuing at the supermarket, an undertaking every bit as challenging as climbing a mountain – especially when the parking meter has already expired and a police officer is leaning over our car. Or when we know that the last tram is the very one that will stop and then pull away before our eyes while we are still stuck in line. The moments when we come face to face with our own cumbersome selves are those in which we are forced to reckon with who we are: with our fatigue as we carry our backpack, or with the awareness that time is running out to fill the fridge or prepare dinner. They are the moments when we cross a ridge, more exposed to danger, where every step has to be carefully measured.

But what is the measure? Perhaps this is where a subtle difference emerges between standing in a queue and walking a long-distance mountain trail. I am the one who measures the length of my steps: I am the one who knows how far I can walk. In a queue, I cannot predict whether the person in front of me, standing between me and the checkout, will be quick or slow to put their shopping on the conveyor belt; whether the cashier will be efficient or not; or whether an item might even be missing its barcode, causing an unbearable delay for someone whose time is dictated by others. By the tram driver, for example.

Yet on a long-distance mountain trail, there are just as many factors that are beyond our control, but that we can understand and measure. The length of each individual stage, for example; the elevation gain from point A to point B; whether or not there is water along the route; even how exposed the trail is to the sun or the weather forecast for the day. How long will it take me, carrying a heavy backpack and with two days of hiking already behind me, to climb 1,000 metres of elevation gain? Will I make it to the next mountain hut before 2 p.m., when rain is forecast? All these things need to be measured. But the outcome depends on us: we are the ones who, with an honest awareness of our own abilities, can know the answer.

An answer we cannot lie about. Because otherwise, we would be lying to ourselves, potentially putting our own safety at risk. That is why the disclaimer that appears when entering the Alta Via Dolomiti Bellunesi website reads: “A route for many, but not for everyone.” Perhaps, then, a long-distance mountain trail really does bring us face to face with ourselves: it asks us new questions and, above all, demands honest answers. It sets us on a journey of discovery that can just as easily begin in the city. In the same way, something that begins and is learned along a long-distance mountain trail can then be carried back with us to everyday life: good practices that, if they are good in one place, are just as valuable in another. At home, I would never dream of dropping a piece of paper or a tissue on the ground; the same should be true in the mountains. On a long-distance mountain trail, I turn off the tap while brushing my teeth, saving the same water I can save at home. While staying in a mountain hut, I can take the time to reflect on the day that has just passed. And I can do the same in the city, in the everyday life that is most familiar to us and that fills most of our days.

So why walk a long-distance mountain trail? And why the Alta Via Dolomiti Bellunesi in particular? There is no single answer to this question – or, rather, there may be many answers, or perhaps none at all. Just as there is no single answer to questions such as: How long will it take me to get from point A to point B? Will I feel cold at 21°C? Will I reach the mountain hut before the rain starts? Should I leave the supermarket queue to catch the tram, or walk home instead? There is not necessarily one right answer. It depends on each of us. Perhaps, after walking a long-distance mountain trail, you will know something more about yourself. And you may not always like what you discover. But knowing yourself a little better is always worthwhile.

Enjoy your Alta Via, whatever yours may be.

Alta Via Dolomiti Bellunesi

The Alta Via Dolomiti Bellunesi crosses the National Park from Forno di Zoldo to Feltre, along a 108 km route divided into 7 stages and 6 variants. Following CAI trails and less-travelled paths, it passes through some of the most striking and unspoilt landscapes of the Belluno Dolomites. A route that requires experience and good navigation skills, but whose true measure lies above all in the landscapes, biodiversity and encounters that accompany you along the way.