When Nis Alps is in the mountains, he feels a certain calmness that surrounds him. That's what he strives for, whether it’s raining or snowing - it’s about experiencing nature. Having seen one of the iconic pictures of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo, three massive isolated walls of stone reaching up to the sky, he knew that this place is special and he would have to go there one day.
Last summer, Nis, who is a rather quiet and very thoughtful person, had to take a break from all the hectic energy and noise of Berlin, the city where he lives. To escape the buzzing city, he took his family, his girlfriend Desi, and their two dogs Wilson and Amy, on a five-day hike through the Dolomites. That’s what calms him down and brings him back to himself, almost like recentering.
Over the years, Nis has become kind of an expert in Komoot. Planning a multi-day hike through the Dolomites turned out to be quite tricky at times and confronted him with challenges. Having no car and only wanting to use public transport, a suitable starting point had to be found. Also, wanting to see all the classics but not having to cue up for them as if being at a supermarket till, he tried to avoid the trails that everyone takes—it was supposed to be peaceful and quiet.
So he started looking for alternatives, always being aware that they would need different routes for every day, know about any potential shortcuts, and have suitable locations to pitch the tent. Planning the route without knowing the area turned out to be quite surprising, Nis says, since “you can’t really see the difficulty of a trail on Komoot and that can make a huge difference in how long it will take."
“At night, I thought the tent would collapse and I’ll have to go out in the pouring rain to built it back up again.”
The first two nights, when heavy thunderstorms rolled in, being in the tent was especially exciting, Nis remembers. “It was super dark outside, you barely could see and suddenly it got ultra bright because of heavy lightnings. Wilson was sitting right in the middle of the tent and looked super scared towards the roof." Due to the mountain terrain, Nis couldn’t secure the tent with pegs, so he piled up some rocks instead and hoped for the best.
Having no sanitary facilities, they washed themselves in small pools or jumped into a river, what turned out to be a nice refreshment in the Dolomites summer.
Looking back, sleeping in a tent and having no shower was easier than they thought, never having done something like this before. “It’s all about the gear”, Nis says.
Going on a multi-day trip, light packing was essential for the couple. Bringing a 45l and a 30l backpack turned out to be ideal for this hike, even for carrying 2kg of dog food for the week. After two days of hiking, their dogs had gotten sore paws from the trails, so they had to be carried in musettes. Talking about the gear they used, Nis gets especially excited about his Polartec Alpha Fleece which he had bought in advance. It's warm and super lightweight - “a real game changer”.
Desi and Nis have decided to do another city escape next year. Not as a thru-hike though, so the dogs stay happy.
“Waking up before sunrise, sitting on a mountain top and having your freshly brewed coffee while the sun is coming up - that was one of our highlights from the trip.”
