I used to think I had to earn the mountain views by pushing hard.
Walk long distances. Feel ruined. Climb hard.
That was the mindset I bought to my first solo hut to hut. It was a level 3 hike which is categorised as between 10KM to 15KM per day with ascents between 600 to 1000 meters. Go hard or go home so I thought.
It was perfectly doable with a good levels of fitness. My frequent Kettlebell classes gave me an awesome base level of fitness plus I enjoyed the bragging rights.
But this year I wanted to try something different.
For my second self guided hut to hut I decided to book a level 2 hike. This involves less distance of 8KM to 13KM per day with 500 to 600 meters ascents.
Looking at the numbers I can see a different story.
Hike Overview
Day 1 Rabbi Fonti to Malga Monte Sole
Ascent 800 m
Region: Stelvio National Park,.
Estimated guided time 4 hours
Completed time 3hrs 33mins (including a 15 min detour)
I started my trip in shaded woodland. Much of Europe, including Italy is deep in a heatwave so the trees were a gift. I was carrying a 44 litre load on my back. Temperatures were at 22 degrees by 9AM.
Managed to miss one of the highlights of a suspension bridge. I find it takes a day to reorientate my internal GPS and get in the groove.
I arrived at midday at the Malga (farm stay) and was ready for a little sit.
Highlight Whoop
Whoop clocked a hiking strain of 15.4
Polar Chest Strap
This is my new gizmo which I bought for a steal second hand on Vinted.
Polar has me in Zone 4 for 1 hour 31 mins followed by a large part in Zone 3.
This tells a very different story and explains why I'm feeling a little bushed despite a short hike.
On paper this is a much easier hike however my body has still worked pretty hard today.
What I've learning
You don't have to go hard and all out to feel strong or to work hard.
My body responds to what is in front of me and doesn't care about levels. It knows elevation and to putting one foot in front of the other.
Plus the views are still pretty outstanding.
Midlife lesson logged. Day 1 done.
