155Km, 10 days, ~10km of ascent, 3 countries – all with a 12 kg backpack.
Trying to keep up with the “an expedition a year” rule, Saumya and I did the Tour du Mont Blanc hike last week.
Of course, we were in the midst of truly remarkable scenery throughout our hike, but there was more to it.
When you are doing this kind of hike, there’s only one goal: To complete the distance each day, to reach the next point no matter what. It’s a very refreshing experience to be completely disconnected from the regular life and just chase this goal. At the end of each day, the only thing you think about is the next day’s hike. It has been so long since I was so focused for 10 days in my life. And the best part, everyone else around you is on the same frequency.
The other thing I am going to cherish for the rest of my life is the people I met on this hike. This is what made the grueling hike bearable. Countless conversations each evening around how our day was, what’s the plan for next day and about everything else on the planet. This was one of the most anticipated parts of our day. Cheers to these friendships!
It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life. There were days when I was hiking with blisters on both my feet or with a couple of hours sleep and a paracetamol, but in the end, it was all worth it.
The bar for the yearly expedition has been set quite high now!