We are alive! And not only in the physical Alex-didn't-turn-out-to-be-a-cereal-killer way, but in a mental way. We are all completely still intoxicated from the massive hike we took yesterday and today.
The Austrian Adventure started out great-complete with Italian pasta, lemon beer, guitar and non-awkwardness. St Anton is such a typical countryside town--sandwiched between a ski resort in a lush green valley. You can actually ski between the towns in the valley in a day and the chair lifts are situated in the middle of the town with stores and bars around them all. Wild flowers are in bloom and we went on a night star-glazing hike in a thunderstorm and ended up frolicking in a field. And that was just adventure number one. The more expensive tickets have already paid for themselves.
Yesterday, we began our supposedly 7 hour, overnight, hike. All were in good spirits and it was beautiful. The first hut we found was decked out to the max (stove, blankets, cards, candles, beds) and we were stoked to see what the mountain had in store for us. The hut had a fresh water pond that you could drink straight out of.
After quenching our thirst, we set off towards peak #1 which had some pretty thick sections of snow. While it started out appearing very doable and even safe, the higher we went, the less secure it all was. Rock climbing, snow hiking, mountain scaling defined the next 2 hours as we zig-zagged towards a false peak and back and then across a chute that turned adventure into brillant stupidity. We had considered turning around to go back to the first hut and just call it a day, but going down became scarier and more dangerous than going up. I will always remember Alex calling out ahead of us "do you feel crazy?" Why, yes. Yes we do. We had hit, quite literally, the point of no return.
So we continued going up; putting all our trust in our fatigued legs and arms. That first peak felt so good. Although our legs were shaking, we were so pumped, nothing else mattered. Until we realized that we had another peak to go before the downhill.
Peak #2 was just as challenging as fatigue had hit us all pretty hard. It was more snowy but not as steep. Our shoes (not hiking shoes, mind you) were soaked and it was getting to be dusk (which lasts about 3 hours in Austria so light wasn't really a primary concern). While I was questioning what the hell we were thinking not turning back 3 hours ago with hut #1, I reached the summit and saw the endles alps. Everything was worth it. It was unbelievable how far that mountain range stretches.
The decent began and we faced 2 hours of non-snowy patches through a ski resort. Dehydration, exhaustion and the fading sunlight kept us on the move--planning to stop at the next hut we saw. Well that hut turned out being a cattle house so we had to make a tiny asent to the 3rd hut. Which was on top of a hill. Overlooking the Eastern Alps for miles. With a pond right there. And a waterfall next to that. The word perfection had never had a more real surreality attached to it.
Alex got the wood stove going in the "winter room" which is open to crazy winter hikers and Steph and I water and tried to get warm. While the hut-stored just-add-water broccoli soup with hot dogs was on the stove, the 3 of us used 12 blankets for 3 people and regained feeling in our feet. The meal was warm, the guitar came out, as did the stars and the night was spend in warmth and laughs.
This morning's hike was a "short" (we started to learn how to not trust Alex's distance perception) ascent to our last peak and down into the valley that would lead us back to St Anton. The peak was muddy, which made it very "dodgy" but the flower fields, pure blue/teal lakes, and promise of downhill pushed us through. We even made it back ahead of schedule.
We were all pushed to our limits and grew so much in the process. I am so proud of Steph for facing her fears and overcoming them. While our bodies are paying for it now and will be for the next few days, the bonds that were formed and the inner strength that was found has created an unnatural high in the most natural form. We are all positively high off of the last few days. I hope it lasts for a very long time to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment