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Group Journal Entries: Main Phase

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Day 11: September 13, 2004
Gampen Alm Hutte
Written by August

    Good times in camp. I sit here writing in the journal as I listen to a faint guitar play somewhere out of sight yet within earshot. Of my friends, one sits here reading, three chat over coffee and dessert, and the remainder boulder on the nearby monoliths. Hard living, eh?
    The day has gone quickly, but it has been amusing nonetheless. After waking up and having a balanced breakfast of muesli, milk and cookies, we were bussed into the town by chauffers Andy and Flo. All scattered around the town to tend to their personal business, be it buying a hot fleece vest that is a perfect match with all other clothes in this person's wardrobe, or purchasing a traditional hat that renders the wearer a mountaineer/farmer from the early 1900s.
    We were soon back aboard the the vans and were taken back to the campsite. Here we tried in vain to explain to the "Doitbags" that our team name--"Spiceworld"--is much better. Then we returned to the vans and were driven to our trailhead. After a few minutes of orienting ourselves, our fearless navigators led us to Gampen Alm. It is a small miracle that all members made it to the hut unscathed after they were forced to endure what Andreas termed my "exhaust problem".
    Anyhow, after a traumatizing experience in the center of the "Bob the Weasel" circle (a thing that I am forever doomed to remember) we heard from Calen and Kasey about S&R [search and rescue] and the basics of climbing. After our hard day we sat down to a wonderful dinner of shrooms, beef, cheese, salad and dumplings. At dinner, Andy and Andreas were presented with ceremonial cowbells so that we will always be able to find them, even when they are sneaking around on final.

Day 12: September 14, 2004
Gampen Alm Hutte
Written by Kasey

    To be honest, I have very little idea where we are right now. I know that we are staying in a hut called Gampen Alm and that we are somewhere in Italy, but other than that I couldn't tell you much. For me, where we are is maybe not so important as where we are going. A different set of rules applies when you are in the mountains. Things that seem so important back home lose importance out here. I couldn't tell you what time we started hiking in the morning or what time we reached the summit of Peiterskofel, but I could tell you what the weather was like the entire day. And even though the weather was lousy and it was foggy and cloudy and rainy all day, and even though when we reached the summit we couldn't see anything, I still think that I would rather have such intimate knowledge of the weather than to know where I am on some map of Italy or what time of day it is.

Day 13: September 15, 2004
Puez Hutte
Written by Thomas

    My destiny is fog. Rockburgs adrift on fields of icy air...angry Fog Face saying "OOOOOH!" Brushes my bottom soggy. I stroke the stony earth with sluggish strides drag mud from hut to hut.   Fog Face says "OOOOOOOH!" and whisps upon my neck; turns me to fog and now here I am engrossed in Martian-marshes take my breath to stay afloat. My destiny is fog.
     Microcosms know themselves--the rock and rain; don't know the fractals of worlds. Fragment constantly--diminish into nothing and become the unknown. My trace is too much--more than any snail's! I will be long gone when this range of stones has crushed itself and simmers into primordial life. Though the mountain is fond of my bones and draws me upward, my flesh is follied by steps. Bones: upward and crushed to dust; flesh: in strife and triumph.
    My destiny is fog
    and here I am
    again and again...
    and again!
    Fog Face says "OOOOOOOH!"
    My destination is fog.

Day 14: September 16, 2004
Puez Hutte
Written by Bond (who has a great imagination)

    Today is a snow day! We all went outside and made a giant snowman. After erecting the giant snowman, the whole group broke into a snowball fight. It eventually became A+A vs. Team Spiceworld. The day concluded with everyone sledding down to the hutte to get the cappuccino we had won off of A+A for winning the snowball fight. After dinner we played "Solo".

Day 15: September 17, 2004
Rif. Pisciadu
Written by Alison

Do You Like Via Ferrata?
(to the tune of the Pina Colada song)

I was just thinking of this good day,
Strangely the hike wasn't long.
We did the usual things:
We hiked and laughed and sang songs.
Up the gravel hill we were creeping
On a trail marked 666.
So I thought of this ditty
While we took many group pics.

Do you like via ferrata?
And paying fifty cents to pee?
If you're not into fennel,
If you hide coffee from Andy,
If you like bouldering with Andreas
In an amazing landscape
Then cabin fever is no more-
We have made our escape!

Day 16: September 18, 2004
Rif. Pisciadu
Written by Susanne (personal journal)

The ABC's of a Two Hour Solo

Airplane trails
Butte-like landscape
Crosses (on top of hill)
Dandelion puffs
Effort to stay here
Feel like I have to go to the bathroom
Gee, this is hard
Hikers
I am bored
Just hurry up, time
Kids with parents
Limestone
Moss
Nalgene (orange)
Oh how boring
Panoramic view and peaks
Quiet (except for hikers)
Ravens and rock seat
Snow (a bit higher up) and shadows
Tevas (comfy)
Ugly scar from via ferrata
Via ferrata over there
White (rocks and snow) and warmth
X....ylophone???
Yes, I have to pee
Zeeks, I am bored

Day 17: September 19, 2004
Rif. Boe
Written by Alex

    Out the window, a valley of fog with mountains that sit like islands above the clouds. Another breakfast with soft chit chat radiates from our corner. The busy dining room creates a warm atmosphere for conversation. A gathering of 12 familiar faces, and two new ones. We walked up the hill to a familiar site: up the via ferrata we go unsure of our next destination. Summit? Continue? A quick decisive decision by our fearless leader Bond: soon a summit in our eyes, and a mild hike passing below our feet. Coming up the peak, we see a cascading view of the mountains. Past trails and old huts. A few pictures for memories, and then down the trail. Soon a full group again, we pass around the gorp. Then up and over ridges, with the hut still out of sight. Then a glimmer of the hut not far away.
     We arrive and lunch breaks out of plastic Ziploc bags. Move into our rooms: small but quaint. A few gather again, geared and ready to go, another summit. Slick snow, but a fast pace got us to the top. A small hut and a great view, pictures for us and women who know good looks when they see them. A lost item no-where to be found and a quick descent back to our home for one night. Dinner will come, warm and well-deserved, to a group that is starting to feel like family.

Day 18: September 20, 2004
Rif. Castiglioni
Written by David

    Today was a pretty sweet day. Let me tell you about it. I got up this morning to the first frost of the year. It was cold and we set out for the next hutte.
    We did partner hikes, which was sweet. I talked with Erin and we shared our life stories. Then we hiked down a gravel switchback deathtrap but luckily no-one died. So we kept on keepin' on to our next packout. I got a gelati. It was pretty sweet. I also bought some sweets. I am developing diabetes. I am sure of it.
    We then left the town of our packout and hiked for a little while as a big phat group. Then we split and did some solo hiking, which I loved. Erin broke the rules and showed me a snake that hissed through its skin. I'm glad she did because you could see it inflate and deflate like my lower back and abdomen during a yoga session.
    We got to town. Then we walked around and I bought a sticker with Papa Smurf on it, and a cookie. This town is cool. Thomas is hoping to move here and completely rock the economy.
    I got robbed by the innkeeper when I bought a bandana. I am eating pizza. Love, David

    P.S. I have collapsed under the pressure of purposeful/meaningful/funny journal entries.

Day 19: September 21, 2004
Rif. O. Falier
Written by Susanne

    So today. Today was a big one. We woke up early and were almost immediately kicked out of our hut after Andreas got into a tussle with the disgruntled innkeeper. Hungry and slightly annoyed, we crossed the reservoir and bought cappuccinos from a nice person. In a brilliant move, Erin decided that we should forego the first leg of the hike up to Marmolada and take the ski lift instead. So we did. I almost fell on my face in the process. Fun!
    After a slightly lengthy [okay, endless] breakfast at the end of the lift, we were off again. We traversed a rocky area displaying excellent examples of glacial striations. We crossed a glacier. Then we conquered another via ferrata that led us down a vertical rock face. While we waited for everyone to descend, we we sang songs and practiced harmony.
    The excitement didn't end there. We took a "shortcut" that involved hiking up and down a crappy gravel field. Andy almost got hit in the head by a boulder, and I fell repeatedly (the back of my pants is now black with dust). We came across another fine rock outcrop, this one consisting of interbedded limestone and shale. It was a fossil playground. Yay!!!
    During our final descent we turned into Smurfs (fog will do that to you). Pebbles became boulders and gnats became birds. We decided that Spiceworld is out and Smurfworld is in. We arrived at our cottage at about 7 PM and were greeted by a cat, a dog, and a pony.   We sat down to a meal of minestrone soup and spaghetti. David blew snot on the table during chow circle. August and Thomas plotted ways to ascend Marmolada the next day. It didn't work out.
     Overall, the day was kind of shaky. We realized that we weren't working together as well as we should, and that attitude is just as important as physical abilities. Flourescent green bandanas are also important, as they make a person HOT, and the hotter you are, the better you perform. August and David are SO hot. It's distracting. I can barely concentrate when they're around. Like now.

Day 20: September 22, 2004
Campsite (Camping Olympia in Cortina)
Written by Calen

    The last day of main phase started like any other. We awoke in time for a 7 AM breakfast which was thankfully accompanied by hot water (something we'd all missed the day before). We hit the trail at about 8:30 AM at a vigorous pace in order to make a "bus" that would shuttle us to our next destination. We made the bus stop with time to spare, but waited an hour before realizing that the bus wasn't going to show up. A call to Andy and Flo remedied the transportation situation, but left us with an hour and a half of free time. The time was not wasted: some played with stones, while others schemed to sneak around the local closed resort. There was even a short but much-needed yoga session led by yoga guru Thomas. The drive to the campsite was relatively quiet. Some of us slept while others taunted Andreas to "drive like a German".
    The campsite is much like the last, and so are the shelters that we shall sleep under. The day has been filled with music and laughter and we will all sleep well tonight.

Day 22: September 24, 2004
Campsite (Camping Olympia in Cortina)
Written by Kasey

    I'm afraid that today was a pretty boring day to be journalist as nothing much happened. We struggled out of our sleeping bags and into the cold to face a breakfast of meusli with no honey. We left camp for the town of Cortina around 9. Most people piled out of the van and onto the streets while August and Calen continued on to do some shopping for final. Hopefully they did a good job. We will find out soon.
    We all met up again at 12 and decided to go get pizza with the leftover food money. After enjoying our pizza we moved on to a cafe to wait out the 3 hour lunchbreak for all the shopkeepers. By 3 PM we were all outside the stores waiting to buy more stuff. Calen and August returned to the grocery store to buy some last minute items. We all met up again at 4 in order to walk to the bus station where we caught the 4:30 bus to Camping Olympia.
    We relaxed until dinner at 6:30: more pasta. Evening meeting was at 8:15 PM in the pizzeria. I think I have been in more pizzerias than I have been on summits during this trip. It was nice to get out of the cold for awhile, though. We talked about solo and final expedition with Andy and Andreas. Then Andreas played with Bond's new watch. Now people are slowly drifting off towards bed and I think I might join them. This might be my last journal entry, but I have enjoyed writing and hearing other people's entries.