When I realized that our weekend in the Vosges mountains, at an auberge where our friend had been an au pair, would include a lot of walking along the edge of a mountain, I got nervous.
We arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday & spent several hours on the large wooden deck the family had built several years ago. It felt like a mid-summer day instead of the first weekend in April. Before Joe finished his first pint, I felt the skin on my nose starting to burn. I don't think anyone escaped the weekend without a sunburn–& no one burnt evenly. My left arm & neck are rosy, while those sitting across from me have a stronger pink on their right side. We should have been playing musical chairs to prevent it.
After a long sit in the sun & playing with the family of goats, we headed out on a tour around the mountain–hiking across a snowy patch not yet melted, winding up through pastures that will soon be filled with cattle, twisting around a rocky patch where men were rock climbing. It was a three hour hike that led us to the top of the peak, where we stood next to the ski lifts–looking out of place & a bit eerie in the now green landscape.
We had to follow the ski lifts down the mountain, walking in a zig-zag pattern until we found the path again, & I realized that this is the closest I will ever come to skiing. Each time I changed directions–lead with right, now lead with left & weave back; lead with right...–I was afraid I'd start an endless tumble. I imagined tracing the same path on skis, much faster, with no idea how to stop.
It made me much more confident in my feet. So we made it back, & when we decided the next day to take a trip all the way down the opposite side, to visit the small lake, I was less afraid. When we got to the lake, I even stood on top of a rock! A rock that was surrounded by nothing & had water underneath!
The lake walk was one of those times when you realize you're moving through a moment you'll never forget. Stopping to throw rocks in the lake next to a French boy while his family teases him in a thick, Alsacian accent, that a girl was throwing farther than he. Watching our step to avoid landing on the countless frogs heading toward the freezing water. Sinking into the boggy ground in the mountain's shade before reaching the far side of the lake & beginning the climb back up. Trying to react appropriately when a teenage boy fell on the path, landing directly in from of me & the two girls I was walking with. Zig-zagging back down a part of the mountain with less fear than I'd had the day before.
So, I'm definitely not cured of my fear of heights. I'm not looking forward to standing on the edge of anything anytime soon, but I am really looking forward to more opportunities to hike & immerse myself in nature. I'm looking forward to the warming weather & more pints on patios & tarte flambée, a pizza-ish dish typical of the region that I've been eating too much of.
For picture from the weekend, click here. I'm going to go try to find tickets back to all of your lovely, State-side faces. PLUS: Two new Where's Joe's Head?
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