St. Ulrich to Trieste, Day 1 - Seceda to Colfosco

Sunday June 21, Day 1: Seceda to Colfosco

Our long hike of 2026 began atop Seceda, which meant catching an early morning bus to St. Ulrich, and then riding the Seilbahn up. The Seilbahn is in two stages: an 8-person gondola from St. Ulrich, followed by a 62-person gondola at the halfway point. High tourist season had already begun, so were packed in with other tourists in the second lift--a convenient thing for acrophobes.

Here we are on Seceda before Day 1 kicked our butts. 

The National Park makes an effort to keep people on designated trails. Once the temporary railings end, folks sprawl out in the meadows.

For the first few miles of our hike, we hiked in single and double file with dozens of other hikers. It's a wonder that I snagged photos without lots of people in them. 

Langkofel and Plattkofel

I had to be right quick to get this shot between Wanderer/innen

The lure of Der Wanderer ueber dem Nebelmeer is strong for all of us camera-toting Caspar David Friedrichs. Note that the Wanderin standing on the rock in the photo below had to be photographed in multiple poses by her two friends. Then she traded places with one of the friends for a second round of photos. Then that friend traded places with the third friend for a third round of photos. Meanwhile, a long line had formed of other hikers who similarly wanted to take photos. It was a wanderer-eat-wanderer spot on the trail.

Eventually, we hiked far enough down the trail, and far enough from the Seilbahn station, that the day-hiking crowds trickled off. For the rest of the day, we encountered only long-distance hikers, many of whom were hiking the Alta Via 2.

Adjusting bootlaces in privacy

As we were in the Dolomites, I felt it necessary to admire a chunk of dolomite. The powdered dolomite in my glaze-ingredients cabinet in our basement back home is presumably similar in chemical content.

This first day of hiking coincided with E's 25th birthday. We waited until the evening to call him, since there was a 6-hour time difference. E has honed the skill of throwing rocks in the air and photographing them looking like spaceships. During an afternoon break, I tossed a few rocks in his honor, but being less skilled with aim, was lucky that I was wearing a protective hat when one of them hit me on the head. I eventually got a satisfactory photo (although the rock is out of focus). In the background whence we came, Geislergruppe.

Happy bday, E!

From there, it was a long hike up to the pass. Resilient wildflowers found places to send down roots in the scree.

At the top of the scree field, we reached the saddle and had an expansive view to the east.

The trail then followed the ridge around the cirque. Here's the first glimpse toward the upcoming death-defying thrill ride for acrophobes. I have no photos of the scariest bits, because I was too busy trying to be brave, but they involved precipitous cliffs and stainless steel cables.

 

Carly the Travel Chicken emerged from the backpack at the apex, where the narrow trail expanded into a comfortingly wide meadow. Another hiker arrived soon thereafter. She was hiking half of the Alta Via 2 solo, and was modeling both bravery and empowerment. 

S's microfiber towel makes a fine superhero cape.

I took this photo for the geology in the background, where you can see the angled layers of former ocean floor now high in the Alps.

Once we rounded this cirque...

 

...the terrain flattened out and the acrophobe could finally relax. 

Looking toward Val Lungo

Pair o' marmots...

Val Lungo...

Throughout our hike, we repeatedly encountered built-in steps designed for--or rather, by--people taller than 5'6".  

From one cirque to the next... 

Turn your audio on to hear the call of the marmots.

Despite hundreds of miles hiking in the Alps, this was the first and only time we saw Edelweiss in the wild, above Colfosco.

Audio on to hear the adorable baby goats above Colfosco, accompanied by a sheep who thought the goats were way more fun to hang out with than the sheep. 

Ta da! 11.5 of the day's 13.25 miles, 2,150' up, 4,750' down (oof).