Friday September 2nd- Day 1

 St. Andra to Rifugio Plose 

We took the bus from Bressanone to St. Andra (the official start of Alta Via 2) and started walking at a very reasonable 9:30. There was a choice of walking up the zig-zag path below the cable car (which seemed a little soulless) or, as our guidebook suggested, taking the less direct Path 4 through the forest- our choice. As it was our first day and there would be about 1500m ascent, we took it steadily and didn’t rush. The woods were quite pleasant and not too dense and after an hour or so we began to get the occasional views of the mountains through the trees. 

First views of the mountains through the trees
After about four hours (book time!) we reached the Rifugio Plose, where we got our first real taste of the Dolomite landscapes. 

We decided to keep the sandwiches that we’d bought in Bressanone for tomorrow’s lunch and take advantage of the rifugio’s menu. 

We were shown our room- in theory a twin room but in fact a complete dormitory with just us in it. Genuinely- a room with a view!

The view from our Rifugio bedroom
It seemed like a good “acclimatisation day”, with a decent pace and enough time left in the day to enjoy the location. 

…and evening clouds from the rifugio:

Next: Saturday September 3rd- Day 2

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