There was soooooo much rain in the forecast for Brione, and the surrounding climbing areas that we almost gave up on the trip entirely. Luckily clearer minds prevailed, and we stayed for our 2 week trip. Although it rained plenty while we were there, we did still get to climb a lot, as well as enjoy many fun rest days.
On one of those rainy rest days in particular we decided to go on an adventure to explore another of the nearby valleys. We left early in the morning, and all along the drive we enjoyed the site of small waterfalls forming from the steep hillsides. As we made it to our destination the valley floor seemed to spread out and open up. It truly reminded me of Yosemite Valley in the United States. We kept looking for boulders through the trees, knowing that there were plenty of famous boulders scattered throughout this valley as well.
Finally we reached our destination within the valley and found a spot to park. It had been raining non-stop, and it steadily continued as we exited the car and gathered our umbrellas. Walking in the rain for no particular reason makes you feel a bit like a child again, and as we walked the trails through the wet grass that’s exactly how I felt. As we turned the corner we saw the boulder we had been looking for across the meadow, Off the Wagon. It’s incredibly difficult, as well as a beautiful line. We took some time to marvel, and then decided to keep making our way down the trail to see what else we could discover.
We came upon a sport climb, a river, a bridge and a few waterfalls. We hopped across the wet rocks in a flooded area of the ground and played around in the rain enjoying the views all the while. Once we’d had our fill we headed back to the car. We drove up the road a bit longer, and found some pretty towns, and eventually a dead end. We turned around and headed back home.
At this point we were pretty well tired from all of the rainy hiking, but we continued to enjoy the views as we drove back, marveling in a slightly different perspective as we returned.
Like I said, rainy days sure can be fun too!