Homework

I love podcasts. There are many that I follow, and I want to listen to every new episode of each one, but for years, I was so busy. The times I had to listen were on my morning runs, a few minutes in the car here and there while doing

Done

Done! Finished! Finito. I am in Zermatt, having walked from Mt Blanc to the Matterhorn as planned. Tomorrow I head back to Amsterdam, and then home. Despite significant pain in my left foot, despite the cold shared with me in the first hut that wont go away, despite some discouraging

Ups and Downs

The alps are immense. They are always bigger in reality than in my memory. You can walk for days and not get from valley to summit. The average distance on this hike is 10-12 miles a day. Pretty moderate, right? But it's the elevation gain and loss

Hut life

The Swiss Alpine Club boasts 150 huts 🛖 scattered across the alps 🏔️ The huts provide accomodations at high elevations, which is important for mountaineers planning to summit any of the dozens of peaks, and for touring hikers who don't want to go all the way down into the valleys

Why worry?

All my life, I have worried about things in the distance, only to discover that when I actually get there, they are fine. As a child, I worried incessantly about the mysterious intricacies of marriage, education, professional identification, and all manner of adult pursuits. In college and grad schoool, I

Every little thing is gonna be alright

No idea what I was worrying about, this trip is squarely within my comfort zone. I knew that, I just got spooked. My biggest issue has been the astonishing number of hikers on trail. The first two days, my route overlapped with the world beloved Tour de Mont Blanc, and

Time to take a walk

I first heard about the "Walkers Haute Route" a couple of years ago when I was hiking the AV2 in the Dolomites. It was mentioned as another long, alpine "hut to hut," meaning no need to carry tent, bedding, and food. The advantage of this kind

Friendships Reclaimed

When I lived in Switzerland approximately 100 years ago, I had one very dear friend, Birgit. Last Summer I went to visit her after an absence of 29 years. During those years, we had emailed occasionally, mostly on birthdays, but even that had entirely stopped the over last 5 or

Updates

Look who I found! On her way to visiting her son in Paris, Jody came to share van life with me for several days. Totally game, she slept in my spare bedroom, and weathered the pleasures and challenges of vagabond life. AND, she completely rehabilitated my vocal chords, which were

City Life

Bergen, as Norway's "second city," also known as "the city of seven mountains," is extremely picturesque. It is right on a harbor, surrounded by the aforementioned mountains, and boasts cobblestone streets and tightly packed, colorful houses. It is also a prime destination for cruise

Ode to Norway

I have fallen in love with the big older brother. Somehow, I never knew about the spectacular beauty of Norway. North of Oslo and Bergen, there is nothing but stunning cliffs plunging into crystal clear fjords, imposing mountains surrounded by verdant pastures, open hills nestled against the shore, high mountain

Interlude

Mirabel and Omar flew into Trondheim which is a charming little city half way up the coast of Norway. We had an astonishingly fabulous meal before heading out to our Airbnb which was in a remote area with nothing around us but scrubby, knobby hills on one side and water

Domestic Life

I have finally come to believe that it is legitimately fine for me to be parking out on the side of the road, here there and everywhere. No one cares. I still expect to be shooed away, but as long as there is no sign saying “no camping,” and I

Eyes, I's

Reliably, as I emerge above tree level, my heart lifts. Some kind of magic. First, is the sheer pleasure of the machine working well. I get stride, breath, and heartbeat into a sustainable rhythm, where I can just let it roll. I feel the heat rising from my body, everything

Problems to solve

On any good hike, there are endless problems to solve. Which way to walk, what about the weather, how best to ford the river, how to get through the marsh with dry feet, how to approach the rock scramble, how to re-locate the trail after bypassing the too-soft

Three Hikes

Netherlands, Germany, Denmark were all a smooth continuum of loveliness. Certainly I noticed when crossing borders, primarily from the change in language. Ok, how is it that these countries, all so close together, have entirely different languages? I am still amazed by the phenomenon of language at all. That we

In the Van

Getting the van was a four hour hassle too tedious to recount, and my first day of driving was prolonged by traffic, needing to put air in my right front tire, and wanting to stop to clarify my destination so I would know exactly where to go. The plan was

Amsterdam Interlude

Amsterdam — my home away from home — is a beautiful city, and so livable. Everything is accessible by bike within 20 minutes, it has fabulous green spaces, a vast variety of ethnic foods, great public transportation, and endless culture and entertainment. Whenever I am here, I am struck by the contrast

Impressions of Iceland

Crazy landscape. One minute bucolic farm land, the next, sharp jagged lava fields. Not to mention the afore described geothermal areas where the hills spout jets of steam. No trees. Very weird to feel like we are above tree line but be right by the sea. We are driving the

Just Pictures!

Newsletter

Land of Fire and Ice!

Land of ice and fire! On the drive from the Reykjavik to our first night’s accommodation, Mirabel regaled me with stories of all the stupid things tourists are famous for doing in Iceland, despite clear warnings. These include hiking without weather preparation and getting caught in sudden down pours,

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Departure!

Moving about the world as a singleton, I can feel that all my edges are exposed. There is no protected flank, no safe harbor in the near distance between me and a companion. It’s not just experiencing everything alone, it’s that there is a keenness, an unbuffered astringency

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More Preparation

These last few months, I have made friends with solo living at home. Here, I have people who love me within a few blocks in every direction. Dawn to my East, Lyric and Mehdi to the West, Jody to the North, and Jason, Vickie and Atticus down South. Also from

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Getting Ready!

I am preparing to spend 10 weeks in Europe, much of it on my own. This will be my first venture traveling solo, and is an information gathering expedition about whether that can work for me. I won’t be alone the whole time, as I get to start out