When hiking there is lots of time to think and philosophize about life, especially when being on a solo tour. In this second episode I want to share some of my philosophical wisdoms I gained during two tours. (Do not take it too serious, irony involved)  

I had a slight déjà-vu, as I found myself yet again on a mountain bike to start a tour. However, this time I had at least managed to take a smaller backpack. 

It was another hot summer day, but as I got closer to the top, more and more clouds moved in. It seemed like this summer does not want to let me experience some good sunsets… (I can not wait for fall and more stable conditions) 

When I finally reached the top, greyish clouds surrounded me. However, there was still some time left until sunset, so I decided to wait and hope for the best. I did not bring a book this time, because the backpack was too small, so I roamed around and explored the terrain. (Wisdom no. 1: smaller and lighter is not always better, at least when you have time and want to read a book)

While it got closer to sunset, the clouds started to glow in a golden color. However, I was still in the clouds and could not see anything.

Only a couple of minutes before sunset, the clouds started to part, opening the view to the surrounding mountains. It was a true spectacle before it got dark. (Wisdom no. 2: always stay till the end, unless it is dangerous and thunderstorm is coming)

After those magical moments, it was time to head back down to the city.

For the second tour it was time to tackle higher mountains. During some research, I had found a rarely visited 3000-meter peak I wanted to climb. This time my girlfriend Luisa accompanied me. (Ohh, and no biking was involved, yeah!)

While the first half of the tour was a marked and popular hike trail, the second half required navigating up a unmarked side valley and a steep, with boulders and scree covered slope to a ridge. 

From the distance, it looked impossible to get up to the ridge. However, as we got closer, it started to look more doable, so we gave it a try. First we scrambled over big boulders, but as we got higher, the boulders got smaller and smaller. Carefully placing each step and hand, we tried to find the best way up the loose scree. (Wisdom no. 3: Get closer and change the perspective and you will find a way, even if the way means turning around and going home) 

It took us more time than we initially had thought to get up to the ridge. The sun had already started to set behind the mountains, as we were finally standing on the ridge and got a first view on the summit we had planned to climb. 

To reach our goal, we would have to descend around 100 meters and scrambled up another steep slope covered with boulders, without knowing if we could actually sleep up there. Therefore we decided to stay and enjoy the view from the peak we were on. But I will definitely come back and climb it. (Wisdom no. 4: The way is the goal, at least if it is scenic and offers as great views as the original goal 😉 )

After a cool and windy night at nearly 3000 meters (we missed the 3000 meter mark by 5 meters), it was time for me to “force” Luisa out of her sleeping bag for the sunrise. She normally likes to watch the sunrise straight from our sleeping place without leaving the warmth of her sleeping bag, while I run around in the cold to take pictures… This time she got up and just wrapped the sleeping bag around her like a blanket to fend off the cold.

Later, after we had already reached the marked hiking path, I heard a scream behind me. I quickly turned around to Luisa. The reason for the scream was a snake on the path. The snake quickly made its way into the grass and we continued on. Luisa now placed her feet more carefully. (Good that I did not mention the high chances of coming across snakes here to Luisa, especially as a good portion of the way was across pathless, grass covered terrain… (Wisdom no. 5: maybe do not always tell all small details of a tour before))

Eventually we made back down without any more snake incidents.