In the Alps

I’ve gotten up extra early today to get ready for our annual hike in the Alps. 4 friends from the church in Geneva, 4 others from Belgium and one from Zurich… We’ll be heading for the canton of Valais where we’ll walk for 5 hours or so to a mountain cabin that’s run by a guardian. We’ll pay for a meal and a night’s sleep, then have some breakfast before heading back down the mountain.

We were planning on going to the Bernese Alps, but major rains have washed away roadways and trails (have you heard about that?), so we had to choose another direction yesterday. Normally, my mountain-climbing buddy Philippe and I do a 4,000-meter peak (a lot like a 14,000 foot summit in Colorado) at the end of every summer. But schedules got mixed up and we’ll settle for lower altitude and more company.

I’ve always loved the mountains. Blame it on my dad, or on my old friend Brent. Or maybe on Yosemite. Covering the distance, taking in the scenery, walking in the snow in August, wishing you could do this more often, sharing a nice, cold drink at the bottom of the hill… Way too fun.