Italy - Day 6: Rifugio Citta di Fuime to Rifugio Venezia

Promising weather

The weather had not improved. It had rained during the night and promised to rain again during the day.

Fun Fun Fun.

Our room was in a cellar which opened into the garden.  This meant that we were locked out of the rifugio all night.  And so had an outside loo. Which due to the rain and cold just wasn't visited.

We dressed - but straight into waterproofs - it was very cold. Had breakfast as set off.

Keen

I would like to say happily into the blue yonder. But it was begrudgingly into the mud. And we can begrudge with the best of them.

There was a high point promised today. We had been told of dinosaur footprints. Three different types of dinosaur footprints somewhere near the path. Directions and exact location a bit vague. So with vision of climbing in and out of these fossil footprints we set off. Into the mud and forest.

Which was a bummer. Everywhere else the limestone means the water disappears really quickly. But in the forest, the years of accumulated stuff means that it will be pleasantly muddy. And in some places deeply pleasantly muddy.

But it wasn't raining and eventually we set off. I forget the exact time. But experience tells us that it probably wasn't very exact.

Dramatic

Hikers say that clouds make things look more dramatic.
They say that they make for more atmospheric photos.

All bullshit of course. But we have to lie to ourselves otherwise we would stay at home or just go to Greece.

We walked and walked. Mainly in the forest with the odd view of  a wet, miserable landscape. I mean dramatic, atmospheric landscape. We came across puddles of mud, lakes of mud and eventually seas of mud. Places where a boat would have been useful. All had to be crossed.

At one point a group of runners joined the path - each with sparkling clean running shoes and gleaming white socks. We just said hello and smiled. They were in for a treat.

Eventually, just after we had reached the point of giving up and the third or forth mud sea. The rain started to drip. Just a bit, just a prelude to the opera which could follow. Then and only then did we find 'The Sign'. Pointing up to the dinosaur footprints. It was in Italian, but we got it anyway.

30 minutes up a rock slide. At 90 degrees to our intended path. So possibly an hours detour. With rain still reminding us that Italy is the home of opera. But they were dinosaur footprints - something you don't see every day. So up we went.

The rain was getting heavier so we hurried. As hurry as we could up a loose rocky slope, in the rain, with back packs. But we sweated and made it in 15 minutes. And when we got there...

Three types of dinosaur footprints

The T-rex footprints we had envisaged were...were...well three types dwarf dinosaur footprints. Dog size. The three types - indistinguishable. All dogs. If they hadn't been cast in rock then you would have just passed them by. Even if these dinosaurs had still been around - you wouldn't have been scared.

Limestone waterfall

The rain, just to mark this auspicious moment decided the start of the opera was overdue. Off we set to race down. But there was a couple, and she was struggling to go down. Clearly unhappy, clearly pissed off with her companion. So I help her down. Route finding, the odd hand and constant chat to take her mind off the task at hand.

My first good deed for the day.

We got back to the path. By this time 'river of mud' was a better expression and certainly more accurate. Time for GO MODE. No talking, no photographs just go. Destination warm and dry.

But ,off course, there were some or other berries along the path and these even in the rain are irresistible to the 'live off the land folk' among us. So they dillied. Leaving me to dally and wait - in the rain. I always figure that fruit along the path has been pee'd on by every Tom, Dick but probably not Harriet.

We met a group of older walker (even older than me). A few exchanges in Italian - and we were past them. The going was down - but treacherous under foot. Slippy - muddy - slimmy. Someone asked if I had seen her arm. What arm I asked, still in Go Mode.

No improvement

It seems I had missed that fact that one of the women had fallen and had a seriously broken arm. Twisted out of shape but was walking to the rifugio, where medical help should be waiting.

The path wasn't easy to negotiate for us. But in pain with only one arm and a fall being unthinkable. It must have been hell.

So Martin and I dropped back a bit. Found what we thought was the easiest route through the mud and slime. Helping the lady and her husband where necessary. The path - the whole slope was just mud and water. But eventually we got her to the solid track with the rifugio in sight.

Second good deed of the day.

Survivors

We got to rifugio. Ate, drank. Then did it again later on and played cards -  our one luxury item.

The ambulance turned up and took the poor woman to hospital. We were impressed - a hard lady.