To live is the greatest adventure - Hiking

It’s not often we are lucky enough to be able to adventure for a whole week. Sadly, the weather hasn’t been on our side so we left it with camping on Monday, but we have been on so many wonderful hikes. Here is one that stood out, because you`d be here all day if I wrote about them all. You can read about them and see photos from all our hikes on instagram.

The weather has been a little unstable lately, switching from rain to snow to hail and then back to rain, with some pretty bad wind. At first it was icy and impossible to walk, and then much of the snow had melted. It looked like spring was about to arrive, not with a bang but footprints in fresh mud and the trees slowly turning green again, but nature did not feel like the time was right. Overnight the snow fell and the ground was once again covered, removing us from the switching of seasons and placing us back into the heart of winter. We couldn’t complain too much, as the sun decided to peak out for the first time in weeks the next morning, its bright light bouncing of the white snow. The sky was clear and blue, the air chilly but not cold. The wind has gone but a refreshing breeze remains and travels through the valley. It’s too early for there to be any traffic on the trails, and soon we venture into unexplored land, the snow reaching past my ankles. Its soft and gives in under pressure, creating a battlefield to walk through. Its heavy and my hiking boots cannot combat the snow, and so it melts and runs into my shoes. Dorian hops behind me, knowing how to get through the snow in the most efficient way after spending the past few months learning. Snowballs stick to his legs and stomach, trying to slow him down, but nature has not quite realized you can never stop a little adventurer. He goes on, completely unbothered by the extra weight. He is full of joy and energy, digging for pinecones and branches, finding the treasures the frost has hidden. After an hour, we find a clearance where there is a collection of tree stumps turned directly towards the sun. I brush the snow off and place Dorian on one of them, readying my camera. He settles down quickly, his ears twitching and catching the light, his eyes closed as he breathes in the fresh air and takes in the scents surrounding him. He looks like he belongs there, perched upon a pedestal underneath a golden glow, ice crystals forming in his fur. He does not know he is not supposed to call the wild home, this man-made creature completely oblivious of where he came from. All he knows is that this is his life, the adventures and the howling mountain winds, the tumbling around in the snow. The sun and the rain, the forest and the hills, the undeniably loud calling of the wild. If home is where the heart is, this is where he belongs. When he opens his eyes, they are big and bright, the brown in them illuminated and contrasting against the blue sky. Full of knowledge and fondness, shimmering with innocence and a love for the world that is true and pure and unique. The moment is over just as fast as it came. After all, you can only enjoy sitting still for so long. On to the next leg of our adventure we went, walking on, soaking wet and perhaps a little cold, but ten times happier then when we started. We reach the mountain side, steep rock with no apparent trail leading upwards. For a second I think our hike ends here, that it’s time to turn back and head home. But we cannot be defeated that easily, so we start our journey up. The rocks are fairly easy to climb, and nature somehow creates a path for us. A little bit of scrambling from platform to platform and we reach the top, Dorian much faster than I. The view is spectacular, the ocean glistering bright and blue and inviting, calling our names. The mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, the woods below us resting in an absolute silence. There is something special about sitting on your own with your dog as only company. Its peaceful, yet a little daunting to be able to see the world go on when you are in a place where time stands still.