Mountain Love: Aguille du Midi

Aguille du Midi is a mountain in Cahmonix, France. It holds a very dear spot in my heart.

We had been to Chamonix twice before. The first time, we had to turn a planned attempt of the Tour du Mont Blanc into a series of day hikes due to snow levels. The second time we embarked on our great adveture of the Tour du Mont Blanc. Now, on our current adventure, we returned to Chamonix years later.

At this point in our journey, we had three solid weeks of hiking in the mountains under our belt. I had struggled in Gstaad. With two solid weeks of hiking in the mountains, when we first arrived, I was tired. So tired. The first hike was tough, but then I found my flow. Gstaad turned out to be our best climbing week at that point in the trip.

When we moved on to Chamonix, all the ions in my body were vibrating with excitement. This would be our third time in Chamonix.

You know when you go to a place thinking it can’t possibly be as beautiful as the first time you saw it, but then it is? That’s Chamonix for me.

It’s a lovely French town in the very core of some spectacular mountains. We revisited some hikes and explored some new ones.

The fourth day was special. We climbed Aguille du Midi. As I said, this mountain is very near and dear to my heart. The first time we visited Chamonix, we attempted to climb this trail twice. The first time, the snow was too much for me to handle along a certain ridge. The second time, enough snow had melted that we were able to get to the top despite the last section of trail being completely buried by snow. It was cloudy and cold and we couldn’t see much at the top. Both times were emotional experiences for me.

Now, back here again, with no snow in the way, we began our ascent. It was tough. The trail starts with straight up fuck you up for quite a while. Eventually, there is some relief, but not for long as each short section of relief is soon followed by more straight up. This climb is one to be taken seriously. I slogged my way up, slowly watching the meters of ascent increase.

It was hard. But I wanted it. I was deep into a zone, each day getting up, lacing up my boots, and hiking up a mountain.

When I saw a refuge, I thought, “Oh yes, we are almost there.” I soon realized that, of course, we were not. My memory reminded me that the very top is right next to a cable car station. I looked up at the rocky switchbacks, winding up the impressive incline. Buck up, Jules. You got more climbing to do. And I did. I kept putting one boot in front of the other, huffing, puffing, and slogging it out.

That’s the way. Simply focus on your steps, traversing one step at a time.

The last section after the Refuge is more exposed. I thought back to climbing it straight up in the snow. This time, I got to experience the full path.

As I reached the top, the view of a spectacular mountain range opened up beofe my eyes. The sun gleamed off the snow capped peaks. It was glorious. We didn’t get to see this the last time. It was cloudy and cold.

This time, I sat down on a patio bathed in sunshine and stared up in awe at the mountains. My heart swelled. It was such a feeling of elation.

Hubby went into the hut and emerged with two beers brewed with d’leau de la montagne and sandwiches made with local cheese. Omg. Could this moment get any better?

I thought back to the first time we came here and hiked these mountains. I did the hikes. But there was a lot of fear, anxiety, worry. Don’t get me wrong, I think that will always be part of the journey for me when I’m pushing myself and moving into uncomfortable spaces. I had experienced moments of that during this trip.

But, since we’d been in Chamonix this time, each day, I got up, laced up my boots, and climbed a mountain. I hadn’t been thinking, can I do this? I did think, wow, this is hard, and omg, this is steep. Of course I did. But I never stopped putting one boot in front of the other. I never doubted I would make it. I simply did it.

I loved that feeling.

Basking in the sunshine, sipping my beer and savoring the mountain cheese and fresh bread, I sunk into the moment. I took in the feeling of being right beside this massive mountain range. I relished in the fact that I had gotten here with my own two feet.

It feels pretty good to work at something day after day, year after year, and reach a moment where you realize, OK, I’ve got this. Even for this moment.

June 28, 2023 1

Finding my Soul on the Mountainside

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. After years of travel restrictions, I laced up my hiking boots and filled my backpack, ready for an adventure with my hubby.

In the first two weeks, we immersed ourselves in the culture of some familiar places and some new ones. We made new friends, we tried new food, and we sampled some very special beer.

We also hiked to the less travelled places, even in the big cities. My trail shoes took me along rivers and canals, through foresrs and gardens, and stops were made in outdoor beer gardens unlike anything we have at home.

My ability to keep a pace, get my blood pumping, and keep my mind in a positive space even when it got long, hot, and hard was quite good. Only a couple of glitches when things got tough and I had to reroute my mind to more positive pastures.

It’s taken me years to get to this space where I spend more time believing in myself than not. When it happens now, because I am human and am not nor will never be perfect, I handle it. I treat myself better than I used to.

Although two weeks of nonstop travel and trekking by foot were a bit of a challenge, this next part of the journey is where the real adventure begins.

The mountains. They were calling to us. So we listened.

Another day of travel landed us in the small town of Leogang, Austria. A ski village by winter and downhill biking and hiking spot in the summer, the over 400 km of trails with a massive gondola system is like a dream.

The access to mountains has never felt easier.

Our first day of hiking was nothing less than amazing. With only small hills over the last couple of weeks, and a bit of a break from training leading up to my last book launch, it had been a bit since I’d climbed, and a while since I took on a mountain.

Climbing a mountain is never easy. Some attempts are more graceful, and others are a mess. I used to get quite nervous, even anxious, the night before, and even more so the morning of. I’m finally here, in a place where I found a sense of peace before the big climb.

We had a leisurely afternoon watching the rain from a cozy lunch spot. I was excited for the potential of good weather and a long day on the side of a mountain.

The morning of the climb came. I was calm. The breakfast buffet was amazing. My body was ready.

The first section of the climb is what I call a fuck you up, go straight up section. The gradients are high. My heart thrumming against my chest, sweat drenched my hair and shirt, I focused on one step at a time and found a decent pace. The best approach for me is to find that flow and to avoid stopping.

When it eased, so did my being. I took some deep breaths, a long pull on my water tube, and realized how good I felt. That first real push is hard, but by embracing it, I put myself into an invigorated place.

The hike was about a good 10 km up. We climbed about 1200 m. There was a windy gravel section with some easier stretches, exposed and hot. When we reached the middle station, a gondola point, we took a little breather and strolled around a beautiful lake.

We soon reentered the forest. The fresh coolness was welcome. The trail alternates between steep sections and flatter ones. I got into a flow of pushing on the steep parts and recovering on the flatter ones. Recovery didn’t mean slowing down. It meant upping the pace to flush out my legs while breathing to calm my wild heart and drinking some much needed water.

The final stretch was crazy. Straight up, for what seemed like it would go on forever. One step at a time, I made it.

I was surprised by the calm I felt the entire time. I was thrilled by how well my body and my mind performed. I believed in my ability to complete the hike gracefully. It felt good. When days like this happen, my entire being is grateful for what I am able to do.

I was so elated that I decided we needed to do just a little bit more. We climbed to the next gondola stop, not far, but extremely steep. I wasn’t fast, but I wanted a few more meters under my belt for the day. I didn’t want to say good enough.

The reward was amazing. The view was the best part of it all, and I had earned it, one step at a time. We had a lovey charcuterie and beer at AlteSchmiede. Sitting on the patio, basking in the sun on the top of a mountain, I felt happier than ever.

After some rest, we descended on foot. We covered about 25 km and just over 1400 meters of ascent. This included the addition of the walk around the lake and the extra climb. A good day. The rest of the evening, I was in bliss, the mountain high clinging strong.

The map from my Strava is below. If you use Strava, you can follow me for the click able version. If not, don’t fret. I will be compiling a list of maps and details later.

This map shows both the way up and down.

May 29, 2023 0

Don’t Give Up On Yourself

Don’t give up on yourself. No one else has.

If you read my post ‘Saying Farewell to the Silver Strand’, you will recall that I was quite happy about the progress I had made riding the flatter, faster routes. I was super excited that I had really started to become comfortable riding on my husband James’ wheel. I have done a lot of riding with him over the years, but the winter of 2016 was the first time that I had really been able to stick so close to him so much of the time. My Silver Strand post was a celebration of this accomplishment, and also a bit of a sad goodbye to sunny San Diego. Continue reading “Don’t Give Up On Yourself” →

April 13, 2016 1

A Little Girl Terrified of Missing out on Self Realization

Self Realization:

The fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one’s character or personality.
The act of achieving the full development of your abilities and talents.

To completely and utterly become all that you can possibly be – what a concept! I vividly recall the moment in my life when I was first exposed to this idea. I was a little girl in grade school and in class one day we learned about the pyramid to self realization or actualization. It was likely Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, or something similar, that we were studying in our text books. I looked at the pyramid staring back at me, telling me that after my physical and emotional needs were satisfied, then I might have esteem. Then, and only then, after accomplishing a full esteem, I might be able to venture into the world of self realization. I remember feeling a complete panic. What if I never reached self realization in my life time? Continue reading “A Little Girl Terrified of Missing out on Self Realization” →

March 7, 2016 0

When You Know it’s Time to Push

When you know it’s time to push, don’t be afraid. Find a way, and just do it.

There are times when you don’t feel up to it, you aren’t sure if you’ve got it, and you have doubts about whether or not it is a good idea. But, deep down, you know you can and you know you should. There are also times when you simply know that you shouldn’t. There is a very distinct difference between these two scenarios. In both of them, you feel weak. In both of them you may be suffering. In one of them you know you should and it would be good for you. In the other, you know that you shouldn’t and that it is time to nurture and heal. You absolutely must get in touch with your inner being and your sense of intuition to enable yourself to distinguish between them. Continue reading “When You Know it’s Time to Push” →

March 7, 2016 13