I've Been to the Mountains
Being publicly witnessable is something that's been tragically hard in the past weeks, if not months (that's why I ended up blogging about Sudoku), but I went out to the mountains yesterday.
I admit it sounds like I did some kind of ascetic training and sat under a waterfall to meditate about mortal sorrows. Actually, I've been wanting to go for a while. I grew up on an island, but my family used to travel to the Alps every summer and spend a week hiking: even before I was able to walk on my legs, my dad carried me on a backpack carrier. It was a terrible torture at times, especially when I became a teenager and holidays with your parents always suck, but nowadays I'm quite fond of hiking, or at least the thought of it. I definitely don't do enough going outside, let alone hiking. This doesn't stop me from flexing to a very dear friend of mine who dreams of nature and mountains as much as I do, despite having very little experience. It's one of those things you often say "Yeah! Let's do it together!" and then often do not, but this weekend we finally managed to meet up halfway1 and do some hiking for toddlers2.
It was pretty hot with a negligible risk of thunderstorms. We went up with the funicular, risked a heat stroke (me) after a 5 minutes walk to the top, then had lunch and went down the aforementioned hike. The kind I like the most: immersed in the woods, no one in sight, small paths and with a faint smell of adventure. For some reason, even though I'm not the picture of athleticism in the slightest, walking these paths makes me feel like a bona fide adventurer, a nimble explorer expert in the ways of the mountains3. Etrian Odyssey without the risk of getting mauled by a deer. I find immense comfort in just existing where no one else does, or with a few selected people I feel very relaxed with. It's a good feeling.
And just like when I was a kid hiking on the Alps, I still take pictures with my finger in front of the lens. This was my favourite...
I moved abroad not so far from where I was before, but I still moved abroad. Considering all the health issues I've had in the past, and how expensive it is to move, I'm glad we still manage to meet up sort of regularly...↩
I love my friend dearly and won't write about her lack of equipment, which is completely understandable as someone who's never hiked in her whole life. I will instead focus on my poor physique and the knowledge that an easy hike in a gorgeous place is still a great hike.↩
I was very proud to explain the basics of trail signage, showing how to safely descend on a rocky path and demonstrating how to pick the right spots where to put your feet on, save for falling (professionally!) at the final moment.↩