Word of the Day
auventura 1: adventure 2: What even everday tasks can be in a foreign land, as much scaling a peek. What JenFu wants to look for in all aspects of travel.

Today started a long time ago. There was the final packing last night. I knew that my pack weighed in at 67 pounds on the way out. With 70 pounds being the limit, I knew that there was no room for expansion. Everything gained on this trip had to make it into my new, larger, carry-on pack. I felt a little like a sham. Though I was sporting a beautiful Mammut alpine pack, I knew that it was filled with Grappa and liquor. I guess there were also my newly acquired guidebooks…that’s legit.

I have a guidebook addiction. I’m not sure why but if I can somehow justify buying one, I will. These justifications can fall into a few categories:

1) I need the guide because I actually climb there.
2) I need the guide because I will be climbing there.
3) I need the guide because I may climb there in the future.
4) I need the guide because I would really like to climb there, though it is very unlikely that I will at any time in the future…but if I buy the guide, I will somewhat magically end up going there.

So, as one can see, I can somehow end up with guides to just about anywhere.

My new “favorite” guide is my guide to Arco. Though it wasn’t officially released until today (too late for us since we are now on a plane), the owner of the guesthouse, Hans, was able to score me a copy out of the trunk of his friend’s car (one of the authors). This isn’t the first guide that I bought out of the trunk of a car but that’s another story. So, I love this guide that I could justify purchasing under reasons 1 and 3, even though it is written in German and we had time to use it for only 4 climbs over 1 afternoon.

It was sad leaving Arco. It was even more sad to do it at 3 AM. That was necessary considering the famous Milano traffic and my lack of proficiency navigating it. Even filling up the car before returning it to the rental company was a chore. With all of the gas stations on the way on the wrong side of the road, a u-turn became a leap of faith.

The self-serve system was a bit cryptic. And, the fact that gasoline actually means diesel and not regular unleaded adds that bit of extra confusion.

They just closed duty-free shopping on the plane so we must be approaching the U.S. border. I managed to sleep for most of the flight so far. This may have been due to a few choice words to the child kicking the back of my seat. Corinne and I some how ended up sandwiched between to small children and an infant, just like the flight out. The kid was not evil, just obnoxious. I’m glad that the threat of being “told on” to his parents still holds some weight for some kids.

It was very nice to see Risa and a bonus to get to share some climbs with her. She has an admirable hunger for getting on climbs but also a balance to not have it be all-consuming. She’s exploring the streets of Milano right now before taking a train back to Switzerland. I hope her stroll is safe, pleasant, and provides a view of another facet of Italian life.

So, what is it like to travel with one spirited for person for two weeks in close quarters? In the case of Corinne, there was never a dull moment. She has a passion for the mountains and a desire to co-exist with them in a seamless way. While wanting to live in the mountains, she still holds in her heart, dearly, her family (as evident by her willingness to exceed carry-on weight limits and customs import allowances to bring gifts back for all of them).

It was an experience seeing and hearing Corinne’s thoughts. For the most part, the thoughts involved loving things like “long routes”, “beautiful peaks”, Gelato Sundaes”, “spaghetti”, “beautiful streets”. But, with all that Corinne was “loving” in Italy, she so often missed those at home. It was a unique experience traveling with this warm individual and my life is richer for it.

As this trip winds down, I think back to Cortina John who had three rules to live by…

1) Never play card with a stranger.
2) Never eat at a restaurant with the word “Mom’s” or “Momma’s” in a town you don’t know.
3) Never get involved with a woman with more problems than yourself.

I’m not sure what these all mean exactly. Perhaps they will make more sense as I embark on my own travels. But, so far, I have a few of my own…

1) Always stop by a roadside eatery where locals are laughing.
2) Never be in a rush if nothing very important is pushing or pulling you.
3) If something important is pushing or pulling you, then move with haste.
4) Toast to your friends’ health as much as you do for “World Peace”.
5) Don’t hesitate to eat in the same place twice, three, our four times, if it was a good experience.
6) Languages are as rich as the food, art, architecture. Always take a shot at it. If the locals smile, at least a little bit is due to them being happy that you are trying.

And, trying is all we can keep on doing.

Word of the Day
attenzione: 1: care 2: What JenFu is thankful for in an unfamiliar land…friendships new and old.

Sometimes sport climbing is too convenient. This may have been the case today when we visited Nago, a very famous crag near Arco and it was completely quiet. It may have been that the locals find that it is so easy to get to this crag and countless others that they decide to leave climbing to another day when conditions aren’t perfect.

Living in New Jersey, this luxury is not a reality. If the crag is blisteringly hot, humid, or infested with flesh-eating insects, we have to get out since it is never clear when there will be another opportunity.

Anyway, I was extremely happy that we had a wonderful day at Nago with the company of perhaps 3 other parties and a quiet breeze. We climbed some moderate as well as some challenging routes. I did discover that I was willing to down-climb 5.7 for a good photo (hopefully a good photo). There was no rain, sleet, hail, or swarms of stinging insects so it made sense.

No day of cragging is complete in Italy without a walk and a drive through a vineyard. What peace…no urgency, no rush. There was no stress on the one-way roads. If a large farm vehicle comes down the road ahead, just throw your car into reverse, back-up to the nearest turn or shoulder and let the larger vehicle pass. We’ll ultimately make it to your destination. I was finally close to being at peace.

Word of the Day
Intimidazione: 1: Intimidation 2: How JenFu fells when confronted with a street archway only centimeters wider than his rental car.

It was nice to see Risa today. I have to admire the length of travel that she endured to reach Rovereto from Switzerland. Her enthusiasm to climb here on the wonderful cliffs of Arco (as well as the impressive boulder cave here at the guesthouse) was contagious.



Unfortunately, the skies decided to open up with rain and hail just as I finished putting up the first climb (Raper 5b) at Massones.

All of today’s events went so much smoother because of the helpfulness of Gilda, our host here at the guesthouse. She was lovely and generous with her time. Gilda managed to provided us with a critical map of the area as well as important information on how Risa could travel to join us. But, it was her offer of her personal guidebook to allow us to find the climbs in the area that floored me. For many climbers (including myself), the guidebook is a cherished item, often times holding logs and memories of past climbing experiences. I’ve tried to protect it as if they contained a lifetime of my own memories. This was no easy task when the rain and hail began to fall.

I have hope that tomorrow will offer a day of climbing. The thunder is still clapping right now, perhaps celebrating its own ability to challenge our climbing goals.

Oh yeah, Corinne really likes green apple liquor. And, if random thoughts are in order, I am very scared of one way, narrow Italian streets where the archways through town are no more than a few centimeters wider than the standard compact rental car. And, of course, there is always a tractor or another car coming down in the opposite direction.

The beautiful that one has to drive through these streets (and sometimes a vineyard) to get to just about every crag around Arco. I’m not complaining.

Word of the Day
amicizia: 1: friendship 2: What still amazes JenFu each time good will transcends differences in language, culture, and backgrounds.

It was sad leaving new friends. I know that I expressed the same sentiment yesterday, but today seemed to drive the idea home. We stopped by to say good-bye to Roberto who has taken care of us so well at the campground pizzeria. We had a final cappuccino and shook hands. Without missing a beat, Roberto presented us with a bottle of green apple liquor which Luca shared with us a few nights earlier. The gift cost Roberto more than what we paid for our last meal there. The gift, was even more valuable than that for me. It will be a perfect reminder of the good times we had there.

The drive to Arco was wonderful. The sights around the mountain passes were glorious as was the pastry secured along the way. We did stop by our morning breakfast stop for one more treat, said good-bye and made our way farther into the mountains.

And, people really do stop on the side of the road to have lunch, accurately reported by Corinne's Dad.

Arriving in Arco was a bit strange. The surrounding were familiar but still exciting. We found the climbing guest house where we will be renting a room from Gilda for the next few days. It is unique in many ways. The apartment, with its loft-configuration can easly accommodate 6 people (or 10-12 climbers). The house sports its own bouldering cave, nicer than that of many climbing gyms. The outside fits perfectly with the surroundings…a beautiful, traditional, Italian home.The attention to detail is wonderful and I must say, even the shutters caught my eye.

And, every climber should have this view when leaving one's home.

Arco was “familiar” for another strange reason. As we walked the streets of this town, Corinne spotted a familiar face. It was Pietro and Silvia who we had met in Cortina at the campground. Pietro borrowed my guidebook one evening. They were able to return the favor here in Arco. Italy has been out of guidebooks for Arco for several months. The new one is scheduled to be released on the 25th of May, the day we will be flying back to the U.S. Luckily, our new friends had a copy of the old one and we were able to scrape out enough info to get us climbing tomorrow!

Up to this point, the theme of this trip has been new friends and good will. Both can and hopefully will for all trips, go hand-in-hand.

Ahhh, speaking of good will, we bought a good amount of grappa, wine, and liquor from Gardella and Arena. Gardella didn’t speak English but was very patient with our attempts at Italian. He managed to convey much of his knowledge of his goods. It was clear that he has been a master of his Panetteria Alimentari Bottiglieria for quite a long time. Gardella was excited to hear that we were from New Jersey and New York and asked simply for a postcard from New York City. It’s funny that the first postcard I send in many years will be one from my own home! But, that I can do.

Word of the Day
comunita: 1: community 2: What the World is becoming more of for JenFu as he explores different places and meets wonderful people.

It’s strange to be here for only a week and being sad because friends will be left behind. We bumped into John on 2 more occasions today and shared some more grappa.

We also had a nice conversation with Drew who is traveling the World with the Australian military. Traveling does take him away from family and the surf (Drew is an avid surfer) but it opens the World to him.

It was fantastic meeting John because he is so local to this area. The same can be said for Drew, who is the absolute opposite, being a visitor as well. I feel that there is such value in both…to have roots but also to be a member of the World community.

As for climbing, Corinne and I managed a fantastic route today. It was glorious in its beauty and scale but also in its challenge. I thought I was going to die on more than 2 occasions! The route was called Spigolo Sud on the Col dei Bos. 10 pitches were climbed, some beautifully, some with much groveling. Chimneys with packs on are rather scary. All in all, though, I think that Corinne and I both stepped up and we have fond memories to show for it.














Tomorrow, we head to Arco…new adventures, perhaps.

Word of the Day
Eccitazione: 1: excitement 2: How JenFu felt when he found an Italian translation of Antoine De Sait-Exupry’s “Little Prince” in a small bookshop in Cortina.

Communication is not always easy but often necessary. It’s been 1 ½ weeks traveling with Corinne. Though we have differences in personality which have created strange dynamics at times, I believe that deep down, we both share a common thread…we both seek adventure. I think that I’ve had more scary experiences to temper my enthusiasm.

Today was a rest day in Cortina. It is a colorful, little town. I consider it little since I managed to walk it in a few short hours. I definitely walked most of it during the hours of 12:00 and 15:30 when almost everything shuts down. I’m still not used to this aspect of European culture but I think I could get used to it!



The town is definitely centered around the mountains. The mountains surround the town physically and spiritually. It is tourist-oriented but definitely has a local flare as well.

As for grappa, I found plenty of that. Prosciutto was also part of the day’s experience. I stopped at CP26. I have no idea of what that stands for, but according to the Lonely Planet guide of Italy, it is the best place for prosciutto in Cortina. I have to agree. The platter I enjoyed was plentiful and the melon was very sweet. Prosciutto is a strange concept. As our truck driver-friend stated, the Italians eat rotten meat. It’s aged for up to 22 months. That’s a strange concept for me since when I leave a steak out overnight, it is yucky and moldy by the next day.

Corinne and I spent most of the day exploring the city independently. It was the most time we spent apart over the last 1 ½ weeks. It’s a strange thing. When you’re in the mountains, you depend on each other to stay alive. That creates a strong bond; However, on a climbing trip, when life is often limited to close quarters, it can be a tough situation. We’ve done quite fine and I think Corinne and I will be good friends for a long time after this trip.

I haven’t had that much wine but I’m lacking coherent thoughts right now. Perhaps it was the 2 separate gelato adventures today of the overdose of proscuitto. Either way, it’s time to rest. It’s best to be well-rested to stay alive in the mountains.

Word of the Day
rispetto: 1: respect 2: What the mountains constantly teach JenFu by scaring him with their awesome power.

It’s nice to survive a close call. One escapes the mountains. One NEVER beats them.

We had a lovely climb on Torre di Falzarego. It was the Torre Piccola route that we took on. Too bad that we (meaning “I”) messed up the approach, scrambled on loose ledges, and started at the top of pitch #2. No worries. We had plenty of excitement anyway.

The route was wonderful. We topped out, found the rappel and both made it into the gully. But, just as things were moving smoothly, weather moved in. Just as one shoud never turn one’s back on the ocean, one should never turn one’s back on the mountains.

Thunder clapped and lightning flashed. Corinne and I started our sprint down the mountain to avoid our demise. The rain fell but not in its most extreme until we reached the safety of the restaurant at the trail head. What a delicious cappuccino that was!

Of course, the rain stopped by the time we reached John’s meal truck. Corinne was nice enough to bring him a peach torte…in appreciation of the help that he has graciously given us.

John invited us to join him at a local haunt where he often enjoys dinner. The restaurant was called Azienda Agrituristica Corte’s Ranch, located in Auronzo. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was unique. It was nice that Giorgia could join us as well.

Giorgia was a lovely person who we met at John’s truck. It was clear that he was quite fond of her. Corinne and Giorgia developed an immediate bond, both having spent time in Alaska. We learned all about life in Cortina and what it meant to be a local there.

I must say, the meat was delicious as was the wine. The night concluded with grappa poured by the restaurant owner. I must remember that it is best to sip the grappa, which would be my natural inclination anyway.

The rain is falling right now but I expect that tomorrow will be a fine day anyway.

Word of the Day
Euforia: 1: Elation 2: What JenFu felt when he made it through an entire day without stalling the car. Now, knock on wood…don’t let this be a jinx!

The ride up to Cinque Torre was much more pleasant today. We opted for the ski lift which was strange with no snow. Anyway, it was well worth the 8,30 Euro fare, one-way.

We explored the crag called Torre Latina, which was covered with pockets and was quite moderate. We climbed an entire wall of 7 4+’s and 5’s. All were a joy. It was fun to alternate leads with Corinne on each of the climbs. We moved efficiently…

After this “warm-up”, it was time for a challege. We found Torre di Mezzo which was home to Soglia Acida, a stellar three-star 6c. Though gloriously overhung, I’m glad that Corinne encouraged me to jump on it. It took a few hangs but I managed to get up the rope. Now, this is what I imagined Italian limestone sportclimbing to be like!



We stopped by , on the drive back today, to visit John. John welcomed us with a shot of grappa which was quite yummy. He closed shop about an hour before and was just relaxing with friends. John mentioned that he did this after work to relax after a 10 hour work day. According to John’s wisdom, the end of the day was for relaxing with friends. It was kind of him to include us.

At dinner, I enjoyed another shot of grappa with Roberto. The pizzeria was hopping and it looked like he really needed a drink. Later that evening, Corinne and I both enjoyed a shot of “apple grappa” (actually liquor) with the younger restaurant partner. He was a practitioner of Japanese martial arts and though neither of us spoke the other’s language, we had a wonderful conversation.

After the day of adventure, we took the bi-pedal way down. I must admit that I have tons of fun with Corinne, especially during the more pedestrian times of the day such as walking down an Italian mountainside.

Word of the Day
abbondanza: 1: abundance 2: A word describing the amount of climbing resources experienced in Italy that JenFu will miss when he’s back in New Jersey.

Grappa is good.

I discovered grappa today. Strangely enough, when I looked it up in the Italian-English dictionary, it stated that grappa meant…grappa. Guess I should have spent more than six Euros for this dictionary. Anyway, it was delicious and the proprietor of the pizzeria, Roberto, informed me that grappa is the distilled essence of grape skins…beyond wine. I don’t quite understand, but it was good.

Too bad Corinne was not feeling as well as me after having the grappa. Unfortunately, Corinne’s upper airway infection kicked up today which knocked her out. Anything that throws you a curveball in the mountains is tough.

We went to Cinque de Torre today which was incredible.

But, Corinne’s cold made it tough for her to enjoy it. She still stuck it out and belayed me on a 6a+ sport climb with no name on Torre Grande.

Corinne did get a chance to toprope it but to keep the day tough for her, it started raining. We both remembered hearing or reading how Cinque de Torre is but one giant lightning rod in a storm so she lowered off and I said good-bye to three of by trusty quickdraws. I will, however, never second-guess that decision but I will be sad to see my trusty “friends”, those that have saved my life on numerous occasions, left behind.

As we took a break from climbing, we had the opportunity to observe the future of Italian mountaineering.

I still can’t believe the lifestyle that the Italian’s enjoy. At Cinque de Torre, we experienced one of the many refugios stationed across the Dolomites. These “huts” have full service restaurants and guest rooms in these “remote”, high-altitude arenas. I enjoyed one of my many espressos up there while waiting out the storm and stalling before driving down the scary, one-lane mountain road.

Tonight we’ve migrated from our quaint campsite by the river to one of the guest rooms at the campground. It is a neat, little dorm room, complete with a sink but no toilet. The two twin beds take me back to my collegiate days. I thought about stacking them into a bunk bed configuration but the ceiling is much too low. I do love the old-fashioned keys that lock the doors…those I previously only experienced in the movies.

Hopefully this change of venue will help Corinne heal and return her to the mountains that she loves so much. We have such a short time here so each and every second counts. I hear them ticking, and ticking loudly.

Word of the Day
natura: 1: nature 2: What causes JenFu’s jaw to drop and make him feel very small.

I think we have a system now.
Corinne and I had a major success today on the South-West Face of Piccolo Lagazuoli. We made an early start and managed to be the first party on the route. Sometimes it is helpful, though, to have another party ahead, “guiding the way”.

I managed to use almost all of the 70 meters of rope we had but could only utilize about five questionable pieces of protection. Missing the belay anchor at the top of the first pitch and then losing the second one as well forced the creation of one with natural gear. Luckily, that was the end of the true misadventures. The rest of the climb went as planned…meaning, as scary as expected! We topped out after five hours and enjoyed a chat about politics at the top.

The hike down was far more pleasant but definitely with more excitement than expected. The Italians use the term “trail” quite liberally. I would have felt better being tied into a rope at many points. The walk had to be more enjoyable for Corinne than yesterday’s stroll, since, today, she had her shoes. It did appear that the scars from yesterday’s toe-torture descent were still making themselves known.

As we drove back to camp, Corinne spotted a meal truck next to the road. The sign read, simply, “John Grill”. There was much fun to be had as John let Corinne work hard for her vegetable sandwich in Italian. It wasn’t for some time until he revealed his capable English skills, considering that John grew up in the U.S. He was an “ex-pat”, having moved to Italy some 15 years ago to run a ski-repair shop. The meal truck gig has kept him occupied with opportunities to tease visitors for the fast four years.

Dinner was once again at the wonderful campground pizzeria. Just when I thought pizza couldn’t be thinner, I enjoyed a wafer-thin pie. And, just as I thought I couldn’t enjoy prochiutto anymore, I had a pizza covered with it. It just went well with my mezzo litro of vino rosso.

Corinne wanted to walk off tonight’s extravagant meal so we took a pleasant walk through the woods by twilight. The stream was cold but soothing and the conversation was engaging, flowing from one topic to another. It is a fortunate thing to have friends with whom facades are completely unnecessary.


Tomorrow’s adventure is still a mystery at this point, but isn’t life that way. Corinne and I have guidebooks out now but what we climb or if we climb at all has yet to be revealed.
I hear thunder outside right now. Just to show that one can make plans in detail but destiny may veto it all.

Word of the Day
fame: 1: hunger 2: What JenFu is feeling about more climb…more wine.

Real rock. Dolomite limestone is simply incredible…incredibly slippery and scary. Today we learned a new definition for run-out as well. Though the climb was moderate in difficulty, the lack of protection was wild. On a given 40 meter pitch, there were perhaps one or two protection bolts. That’s not a major problem. It just takes a little bit of recalibration.

The day started with a little bit of sleeping in. Not as bad as the first day but still enough to put a little kick in our steps on the climb. More about that later.

Breakfast was ultimately found at a roadside café at the Passo Falzarego. One can always count on a good cup of espresso but not necessarily a warm breakfast. The panino was not bad, though the prosciutto did look like ham…even after the waitress told me they only had chicken. I need to work on my Italian.

We climbed the South Rib (Cobertaldo/Pezzotti) of the Hexenstein today. It was a wonderfully exciting climb, even for the mild grade (UIAA IV+). It was 150 meters high and I was originally concerned about the party of nine ahead of us. I should have known after to told us that they were from Austria that it would be us trying to catch up to them.

And just a footnote...here is some required gear for the route.

I must say, I thought the views were gorgeous from the road. I was struck speechless as we climbed higher. As we reached each new elevation, more of the amazing landscape revealed itself. It was definitely nothing that I had seen before.

Corinne lead pitches one and part of three as well as pitch 4. I was charged with the balance. The most amazing things was the lack of “need” for all of the traditional protection gear that we had brought because there was no place to put it!

There, at the summit was a large cross to welcome me. I could find no belay anchor at the top until an Austrian hiker suggested that I secure myself to the cross. I stated that I felt guilty using the symbol as an anchor. He responded, “It is there, perhaps, to save your life.” I paused for a moment to consider the implications of such a statement; But, then I slung it, anchored in and shouted, “Off Belay!” I’ll leave such heavy mediations for another time.

The descent was quite interesting. Though a series of miscommunications, Corinne’s comfortable approach shoes were sitting at the base of the climb. The one hour hike down could not have been pleasant but to her credit, she took it in stride…literally.

And, during the stroll down, we came across a local...

One of the highlights of the day must have been the surprisingly terrific pizza and calzones at the campground café. I would have never expected such an offering. Then again, I’ve never been to Italy either. The five Euro carafe of red wine didn’t hurt the situation.

It’s time for an early bedtime for we have a big day in the mountains tomorrow. The wine has nothing to do with it!

Word of the Day
paura: 1: fear 2: What JenFu feels when coming to a stop on a hill with cars behind him, realizing that he is going to stall and roll back uncontrollably into the trapped cars behind.

We almost went climbing today.

After a hearty night spent at the Olympia Campground in Fiames, I think we’ve found home for the next week or so. The campground has an international flare with even a little bit of English heard here and there. It is definitely European though…no noise is allowed between the hours of 13:00 and 15:00 (that’s 1 PM to 3 PM for the us Ameri-centric folk).

Corinne slept in, nursing her persisting cold. I, instead, investigated the river as well as more of the “Celestine Prophecy”, a book given to me by a good friend.

At 15:00, we did manage to find the camp host who signed us up and gave us the remote transmitter to get us in and out of the front gate. In turn, she held onto my passport to ensure that I was not one of those undesirables that the gate was designed to keep out.

After a short drive up a steep road, we came upon Passo Falzerego, where most of the climbs we will be undertaking are located. It is definitely a beautiful country with the appropriate number of people stopping there to enjoy it. The espresso was delicious as were the views of the peaks.

Corinne and I took one more step closer to climbing. It was too late to do the 250 meter (that’s 825 feet for the Ameri-centric folks like me, again) route, so we opted to learn a bit of history.

Along the cliffs sit many military encampments from the Austri-Hungarian War. These date back to 1915 when the machine gun was born. In the limestone cliffs were tunnels, burrowed for the soldiers to live and breathe war. It was not unlike the lives of the marmots that we saw up there. These unfortunate soldiers lived in these holes, coming out only to “hunt” for the enemy. It was fortunate that we had our headlamps which allowed us to visit this experience for a short time. That was enough.

As the sun set, it was time to descend back into town. Cortina is lovely, with small side streets, and historic buildings. Then again, it would be like Disney with convincing facades. If this was an illusion, don’t wake me. It was simply beautiful.

Dinner was at a little restaurant which served dozens of types of pizza. I had the pizza with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella (which is a redundant term in Italy). The pizza was the thinnest I’ve had, something I learned to appreciate from “A”. Come to think of it, so was my fascination with prosciutto.

Driving back was surprisingly uneventful. We located the appropriate street signs and found our way back to the Olympia Campground, a few whole minutes before the gates were locked and secured for the night at 23:00. It was like having a curfew again. Would I have to take out the garbage in the morning?

It’s time to retire for the night so new adventures can begin tomorrow. Too bad a had the espresso after dinner. Oh bother…

Word of the Day
stanchezza: 1: fatigue 2: What JenFu felt after driving an entire day with the fear that he will stall on the highway and be the cause of a 13 car pile-up on the Autostrada.

Last minute planning can come back and bite you in the ass.

We covered about a billion kilometers today which, in my estimation, was a zillion miles. It wouldn’t have been so tough if I knew how to drive a manual transmission car. The last time I tried to tame such a beast was eight years ago. Kearny, New Jersey was not the perfect arena for such an epic battle but at 1 AM, there weren’t too many innocent bystanders to get hurt.
Before that, I would have to count back 11 years. Horton Campground in the Eastern Sierras of California is a peaceful place, except for that fine day that my buddy, King, decided to teach Chris Sharma and myself how to drive his manual transmission Toyota truck. Well, Chris was 13 years old at the time. I was just inept. I got forward down pretty well and Chris could drive backwards. Together, we made a pretty good team.

Today, Corinne and I made a pretty good team as well. As I struggled to keep the car running, Corinne did her best to decipher Italian maps. They do things a little differently over here and the maps reflect that.

Speaking of maps, one kinda needs a detailed road atlas to navigate the complex webs that they call Italian highways and roads. We, consistent with the “on-the-fly” planning, didn’t have one.

On the Autostrada, there are convenient, full-service rest stops called Auto-Grills. They are wonderful. One can enjoy fine panini, espresso, and baked goods while picking up toothpaste and the CD of the latest Italian hit. Where we stopped, though, there were no atlases for sale.






Never thought a truck driver would come to the rescue. He noticed Corinne’s difficulty finding one and offered his. This gentleman was kind and friendly. His British accent was even more disarming. Perhaps this is also the description of many serial killers but this wasn’t the case today. He wouldn’t take payment for the atlas nor would he give us his name for us to send him a gift. I finally convinced him to take at least something and he accepted five Euro, to be used for his coffee at his next Auto-Grill stop. After a few more pleasant words, he was off in his 18-wheeler, and in the process, helped me one step closer to having faith in the goodness of human nature.

I, however, probably helped Corinne a few steps back as she observed me struggle and fume over my frustrating manual transmission “experiment”. We did make it to Arco, and then to Cortina d’ Ampezzo. We found a campsite but still don’t know whether it will be home for the next week or so. It may have been spoken for already. Either way, I did manage a nice snack (thanks again to the Auto-Grill).


Anyway, we will take a shot at the South-West Face of Piccolo Lagazuoi. That is, if I can make peace with the gear shift stick.

Word of the Day
Anticipazione: 1: Anticipation 2: What JenFu was feeling when he got off the plane to explore a foreign land with no understanding of the language, geography, or culture (or manual transmission cars).

I always thought I would go to Italy with "A". Don't get me wrong. I'm very excited to be going. This will no doubt be an adventure.

It’s been six months since “A” and I went our separate ways. Six months may seem like a long time but that’s compared to over six years together. Over those six years, we traveled the World…sometimes in comfort, other times sleeping on dirt. We brought each other into our respective Worlds. It enriched each of our lives. Unfortunately, things change.

Change has been a theme of life lately. 16 years of training and education since leaving the hallowed halls of West Essex Regional High School is a long time. Now it is time to step out of the role of student and become the teacher (yikes, that sounds like a line out of a Kung-Fu movie or Star Wars). I have a lifetime to put this training into practice as a Pediatric Rehabilitation Physician. But, what’s the rush at this time. It may be more appropriate (and healthy) to take a breath. It’s time to sprint in a different direction…at this moment, that direction is East, across the Atlantic, to Italy.



There’s nothing like last minute planning. But, that’s what plane rides are for. After much consideration, it looks like “Via del Buco” on the South-West Face of Piccolo Lagazuoli may be the inaugural climb of this trip. 250 meters of brilliant limestone sounds pretty good…while sitting in seats 21A and B of Continental flight #44. Climbing always go perfectly when they are ascended in the imagination. Tomorrow or the next day will reveal the reality. No doubt, there will be another adventure first…driving a manual transmission car in a foreign land.