This hike on the Dos Capel Geotrail was incredibly meaningful to me– both in the vigorous exercise alongside my peers, and also in the breathtaking views that inspired some reflection on time. Hiking up the trail was intense, with a steep incline. My friends and I chattered all the way up, right until we reached the peak of the trail. Then we all stopped and took in the view together.
View of the Dolomites mountain range as seen from the crest of the Dos Capel Geotrail. The mountains expand out beyond the field of vision, standing tall amongst the clouds.
When we first crested the hill on our hike today, tears welled up in my eyes. The conversation thread I held dropped completely as my full attention became enraptured with the sprawling landscape in front of me. I felt a growing sense of smallness I around my sense of identity; and the burgeoning feeling of vastness and sense of oneness with the Earth. The chatter of my classmates faded into the wind coasting through the peaks, which the hawks drifted on as they hunted down their prey. As I stood, taking in as much of the landscape as my mind could hold, I gathered a new sense of incredulity at the life I live and its infinitesimally small size– both in space and time– in the face of the Dolomites.
My journal page containing the collected flowers and ferns from the Dos Capel Geotrail.
As we continued along the trail, I picked a handful of plant specimens. In total I picked four species of violet flowering plants and two species of ferns. The most fascinating feature of this collection is the similarities among the plants. the bottom right purple flower has a leaf with similar features to the ferns; three out of the four purple flowers have a similar multi-flower structure.
Image of a rock I picked from the trail. It features a red sandstone with black, geometric mineral deposits interlaced in the rock.
Along the trail, I also found a red volcanic rock containing a spotted black pattern. Upon closer inspection– and the expertise of Alberto– the black spots were revealed to be mineral deposits. Although poorly preserved, the faintly geometric shapes of the deposits communicate the iterative cooling of the rock after its surfacing. As the magma cooled, it cooled slowly and unevenly: the minerals localized together and solidified before the rest of the rock, which cooled fully later.
Photo of our whole cohort standing in front of a peak of the Dolomites on the Dos Capel Geotrail!
With all of the amazing history and life all around us, one of the most significant aspects of this trip has been the people I’ve experienced this with. This amazing group of peers has been wonderful to experience this with!