Cold test in the Dolomites

While the south of Bavaria was hit by heavy rain, the weather forecast revealed 10 days of bright sunshine in the Dolomites, just 270km away on the other side of the Alps. The original plan of a trip to the Mediterranean fell through after just 3 days because I had no hiking experience in the beautiful Three Peaks Nature Park.

The drive over the pass became exciting when my camper broke out as the first light snowfall began. Soaked in adrenaline, I quickly realized that I was driving a rear-wheel drive car for the first time in my life. Fortunately, the Puch could be controlled again simply by switching on the four-wheel drive.

Once again I had to find a campsite instead of being self-sufficient because my vehicle insulation is not sufficient for the icy temperatures of the Tyrolean winter. All I had left was electrical heating via an external 230V supply. I only ran the fan heater at a minimum at night because the campsite billed for electricity based on the kilowatt hours used.

Fortunately, the morning wiping of condensation from the interior of the vehicle like in humid Bavaria was now over. Instead, I had to scrape it off the inside of the windows as ice.

While the masses of tourists took to the slopes on skis, the hiking trails were deserted. Even though the range of hiking opportunities without additional equipment is reduced compared to the summer months and some lakes have frozen over, which would have created more photogenic backdrops if they were liquid, there was still more than enough to explore.

The Dolomites impress with their countless jagged mountain formations. It had been a long time since I was completely surrounded by deep snow. It glittered beautifully in the bright sunshine. While hiking, my nose could never decide whether to freeze or burn. The rest of the body was adequately packed, even if I was completely unprepared and was certainly the only tourist trudging through the snow with barefoot shoes, my mother's self-knitted socks and jeans. The highlight was the path up to the Three Peaks, which you cannot see in their familiar formation from the valley.

The only downside of this stage was my laptop, which unexpectedly gave up after 9 years of good service. He had already survived the moguls of the infamous Gibb River Road and a fall into a moving subway train in Sydney. On this trip he lasted exactly five days. Editing pictures and writing a blog are not possible for me without a laptop.

Findings from the spontaneous trip to the Dolomites: sleeping at -12°C in the camper and hiking at -5°C in the sunshine - the Puch and I are fit for winter. Nutella is a great indicator because if it cannot be lubricated or filled, the vehicle's insulation is inadequate.

Vehicle component: The vehicle component that stands out in the article is the already mentioned fan heater, which ensured that I could survive in the car even in sub-zero temperatures. I actually wanted to travel somewhere warm, so installing a self-sufficient auxiliary heater wasn't planned until next year.