When My Body and Spirit Needed Repair, a Trip to the Italian Dolomites Healed Me

It started in a vast meadow of the Colorado backcountry, mid-summer. In the distance, I saw what looked like a bear, but then realized the large, dark form was accompanied by a human. “It’s just a dog,” I said to myself, relieved. I gripped the leash of my small pup and called out: “Is your dog friendly?” Seconds later the animal — all 120 pounds — was upon us, lifting my dog by its neck, and knocking me to the ground in the dirt. After checking to see if my dog was OK (he was), I left the scene as quickly, but with me came a searing pain in my hip.

Nearly a year later, I was lying in a hospital in Vail, a large portion of the labrum in my left hip stitched back together. After two months on crutches, and several more months in physical therapy, the long and warm days of summer were quickly fading. I was ready to start traveling again — and I knew, for my heart and my mind to heal, it had to be Italy.

…I also needed to get back into the mountains. I had never traveled in the Italian Dolomites and I didn’t know where to start, so I reached out to Agustina Lagos Marmol, owner of Dolomite Mountains, a guiding company that pairs travelers with local pros for adventures in this part of Italy, just two hours from Venice. I told her about my injury and my goals: to challenge myself physically and get back to the mountain sports I loved without setting my recovery back…