The first steps
-
Setting out from Leysin with the Dent du Midi in the background. Can you see why I loved this place? swissinfo.ch -
On the way out of town I stopped by dad's grave. swissinfo.ch -
Crossing the Rhône. swissinfo.ch -
Lake Geneva. It only goes up from here. swissinfo.ch -
Arriving into St Gingolph in canton Valais, a town on the French border. swissinfo.ch -
My last night in a hotel and a real bed, at least for a bit. swissinfo.ch -
Mmmmm, a restaurant. Eating food I won't have to carry will seem like a luxury before long. swissinfo.ch
This morning the sun came out and Leysin was the spectacularly beautiful place I remembered and loved.
This content was published on June 23, 2010 - 11:59
Across the Rhone Valley I could see peaks I will soon be traversing, and the journey became more enticing and intimating. On the way out of town I passed my school and Dad's graveyard, where I stopped for a visit. My friend Jullie-Ann Clyma hiked the steep 300 vertical meter descent to Aigle with me, and then I was alone for the rest of the 30km hike to St. Gingolph, a beautiful town on the south side of Lake Geneva. Here is the border, and tomorrow comes a 2000m ascent into the mountains. I'm torn between nervousness and excitement, so instead I'll just focus on one day at a time.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.