The Civetta is one of the largest rock walls in the Dolomites, and that's saying something.

Last summer I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to the Dolomites in Northern Italy to visit my friends, Dan & Janine Patitucci. They are a husband and wife mountain sport photography team whom I had met when they came to take photos for the company I work for, EasyCare Inc. We had a great time chasing horses around the Durango wilderness, and vowed to stay in touch.

Being similar in spirit and the love for the outdoor adventures, we did stay in contact, and that’s how I heard about the Alta Via One trail running tour. Dan & Janine had recently launched the now very successful website, dolomitesport.com, through which they seek to share the mountain sports heaven that is the Italian Dolomites. They had organized a 5-day, fully supported trail running expedition on the Alta Via One, and they asked if I wanted in. The answer was an emphatic “hell yes!”

Several months later I was on a plane to Munich, where I would board a train to take me to Fortezza, Italy where Dan would pick me up.

We then headed to Brunico, where Dan and Janine make their home (the lucky bastards).

Just down the street from the house we find this...

Downtown Brunico

A Classic European Scene

Stay tuned for Part 2: Bumming Around Brunico…

I’ve come here to visit friends, to get out and see the world, to have adventure. So far the trip has been nothing short of perfection. The journey, though long and tiring as only overseas travel can be, was smooth and uneventful. I’ve completely avoided any real signs of jet lag, which is, I hear, rare and fantastic. One word keeps coming back to my mind, and I’ve decided it will be the word to describe this trip, this place, this time: idyllic.

The centerpiece of this trip is a five day running tour through some of the most stunning alpine scenery on the planet: the Italian Dolomites. We will cover roughly 60 miles over the 5 days, all on foot. But before you gasp and think me a lunatic (though I am), consider: throughout the mountains here there are huts. And when you think huts, think fully stocked hotels, complete with excellent food, beer, beds, showers, all comforts one could want after a long day in the mountains. We will not only be stopping at one of these huts each night, but we will also stop at one each day for lunch!

I know what you’re thinking: you call yourself hardcore? I never made any such claim. Or maybe: don’t you get out in the wilderness to get away from civilization? Well, all I can say is, it’s a European thing. Everything here is just so much more…civilized. But at the same time people have great respect for excercise and the outdoors. It is apparently very common here to see quite elderly people happily climbing up into the high mointains, always smiling and saying hello. Perhaps some of their happiness is owed the the amazing food that is available at some of these huts.

Picture: you just got done ascending a few thousand feet over a very short distance. You’re tired, very hungry, and some threatening storm clouds have moved in quickly. The temperature is plummeting, thunder is rumbling, and a hail storm seems inevitable. Wouldn’t you like to step into a cozy shelter where you could order a plate of eggs, potatoes and speck (think bacon x 1000) along with a cappuccino and a strudel as you wait out the storm? I would. If you’d rather sit under a tree in your rain gear and munch on dried fruit and power bars, be my guest.

So. I’m back. I will be posting with more regularity, though for the next few days I will be happily out of reach of the Internet. If you’d like to follow our progress and be made extremely jealous, you can find a Twitter feed of our tour here.
Do tune in to that, and stay tuned to this blog, as I have big plans for it when I get back.

I had the great fortune to take a snowboarding trip to Colorado around the first of the year. My good friend and former roommate, Shawn, lives in Denver. His parents have a place in Empire, which is up in the mountains, minutes from several great Ski areas. They also have a brand new hot tub…I had four days in Colorado, so naturally we went for it and hit 4 different mountains in those 4 days:

Day 1: Loveland, day 2: Keystone, day 3: Breckenridge, day 4: Copper Mountain. It was fantastic do get out and do one of my absolute favorite things in the entire world: ride as fast as possible down snowy slopes with a board strapped to my feet. The thrill of flying down the mountain, leaning into deep, carving turns is almost indescribable. My mind quiets, and my entire awareness focuses down to what is right on front of me, keeping my body loose and flowing with the turns and bumps, picking the perfect line to carry me quickly down the mountain, ideally without eating it. Freezing air blasts my face and I smile, laugh, hoot and holler like a little kid. On the chair lift I get a chance to catch my breath and take in the amazing alpine scenery.

Something tells me I need to go live closer to big, snowy mountains…

Here are some photos from the trip. The only day I was brave enough to bring the camera along was the last day, Copper Mountain. I need to get a little point and shoot, I think.

[Show as slideshow]

If you’re interested in a larger version (you know you want it), go here.

I’m a full-time, salaried graphic designer. I’ve worked hard to get here, and it’s taken a lot of believing during the lean times. While It may be a 9-5 (8-5 with an hour lunch, to be exact) office job for the most part, last week I found myself hiking and running through some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth, taking pictures, getting to know great people, and all of it on the payroll.

Each year the company I work for has a photo shoot to get new images for their product catalog, which is updated yearly. So, being the designer of said catalog for 2009, I got the privilege of a week-long expenses paid trip to Durango, Colorado to assist with the shoot. Though I am a photographer of sorts, the photography would be handled by a world-class adventure photography team: Patitucci Photo. I would be there to make sure that we got the kind of shots needed for our website and catalog.

Fly or drive? I’ll ride, thanks.

I was given the choice of flying or driving to Durango, which is about 500 miles to the northeast, so naturally I chose neither. I have a motorcycle and was in serious need of an adventure, so I packed it up and headed north. It was a fantastic ride. I saw some beautiful country, from the Mogollon Rim to Monument Valley, all of which had recently received a good dose of monsoon rain, which showed in lush growth, flowing rivers, and fresh air. I had my usual uncannily good luck with the weather: there were almost always storms nearby, but they always moved off before I got there, or closed in after I passed through.

There’s something about seeing things from the saddle of a motorcycle that is so much more satisfying than a car. You get to pass through and make your destinations just as fast, but you have views in all directions and the air is always rushing by, giving you a taste of what’s around. It could be the invigoratingly wild, herbaceous smells of desert plants in full bloom or a dead skunk, but either way, seeing the country from the saddle of a motorcycle is just plain nice.

On top of all that, the act of riding a motorcycle with skill and grace is a great feeling, especially when you’re taking corners at twice the speed suggested by those little yellow signs—leaning over, taking the perfect line, accelerating out of the curve…

You can disregard that last bit, mom.

Durango

What a great place! Set in a high valley with a river running through it, surrounded by alpine wilderness, with an athletic community and a perfect summer climate, Durango is my kind of town.

It’s a small town to be sure, with about 15,000 residents. Just a bit bigger than my native Bisbee, AZ, and from the looks of the downtown architecture, just as old.

Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of Durango proper. I know, what was I thinking? I guess I’ll just have to go back…

Hard Work

So once I settled in, my accommodations being a very new and nice horse trailer with living quarters, electricity and a comfy bed, it was time to get to work. I tell you, it sure was tough: work consisted of getting up at sunrise to be greeted with crisp mountain air and amazing surroundings. Then, after sipping coffee and munching a little bit, it was time to start shooting photos.

After a few days of shooting horses for the catalog, I was free to spend the rest of the week with the Patituccis. They had some work to do, shooting various subjects for their business, and they asked me to be in the photos. That’s right, you can now add camping/hiking/running model to my list of odd jobs! We went to several amazing locations, the most spectacular being the Red Mountain area above Silverton.

This last one is a shot from a day “off”, when the photographers were scouting a new location and I was free to explore.
So yes, this was my work trip. It’s OK that you’re jealous. I understand. But know this: I have worked hard and suffered through many low-paying, non-fun jobs to get to this point, all the time believing that I could make a good living doing something I truly enjoyed. And it doesn’t stop here…