Notes from a hiking holiday last year. Notes from a Rifugio The first thing you notice in a rifugio is the boots. They line the wall like a small monument to the sweat and day’s labour that got you here. The Rituals of the Rifugio the welcome from the rifugio owners - always amazing the buongiornos the ease with which the rifugio workers slip between English, French, Italian and German - hashtag lifegoals. communicating despite the lack of a shared language packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking The Strange Domesticity of Mountain Huts the fake flowers bad alpine pictures in the rifugio the massive helicopter dropping off supplies the 5-minute shower sharing a bathroom with loads of strangers - a topless German woman washing her armpits like this was the most normal thing in the world catching yourself sounding like a Californian asking if they have WiFi the enforced boredom when they say no so you write in your journal Sleeping Arrangements praying you'll be lucky to have the bunk room to yourself praying you'll have a hot Italian in your bunk who has a penchant for Irish women praying that you won't have a snorer the quiet awkwardness of sharing a tiny bunk room with one ageing man The Landscape the Alpine flowers in early June the butterflies the smell of pine the sound of gushing rivers streams and rivers looking paused from a distance the cow bells somewhere in the distance all day the crunch of gravel under my boots - my hypnotic soundtrack for the week the cold alpine water on hot tired feet as you lay in soft grass taking a break The Food & Dining all the pasta, cheese and speck the cakes — all the cakes the history of alpine food - how a hut at 3000m still manages better food than Ireland the unfortunate sweaty smell from the late arrival who sits next to you at dinner The Body the burning in your calves as you push and scramble up scree and steep rocks the same socks for 3 days the same t-shirt for 4 days the same trousers for a week the way your brain shuts off like nowhere else Fear the fear sliding down a steep decent of gravel and scree crawling on your knees under an overhang wondering WTAF you are doing with your holidays the fear of breaking an ankle because you didn't tie your crampon on correctly the fear of hearing thunder on a 3000m ridge and hoping you get off before a total downpour The Characters of the Mountains the nod that says we are all feeling it when you are descending and they are ascending the runners with thighs like boulders the person running down with their hands in their pockets from a 3000m peak the smokers - how are you doing it? the Italian that told me I am a strong woman for doing it solo. The Small Conversations apologizing to Italians for Irish food when they tell you they visited Ireland the smallness of the world when someone shows you their cycle route in Ireland which went past your local village The Unexpected the adder The Quiet Sense of Achievement the quiet contentment of completing a week-long hike pushing your own boundaries and realizing the limits were mostly in your head climbing mountains because you can the quiet gratitude of being strong and able 🏔️ You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a purchase from us. Unsubscribe
