Day 29 – to Wildgehegge, Stilfs Dorf

The Stelvio National Park put on a fine show today, and there was pretty much only me there to enjoy it. Even at the lower altitudes campsites will not open for at least a month yet. The Stelvio Pass won’t open until mid-June, just a week or so later than usual, which means the business who rely on the tourist traffic on it also won’t.

I headed up on the road to the pass, and diverted off to one of the villages. From there the dog and I hiked on a circuit on various paths through farmland and alpine pasture. The cattle are not at these altitudes, 1500 metres, yet either. There was the odd cloud around, the temperature soon climbing to the mid teens. Shorts and T-shirt weather, so long as one stays on the move.

The highest point was a parking area for those headed to peaks in the summer. I decided it was a perfect place for the night, and on getting back to the van below, drove up there.

Other than a couple of farmers lower down, I saw no one all day. The place up high, which has a fenced area of a few square kilometres for red deer, was perfect. It had the sun until 7 pm, and a while after, a clear night sky.