week 2: Moonlight Walk

It’s 6 pm, the sun has just gone down, and the moon is about to rise. The sky shows itself in all its majesty. Such bright and defined stars can only be seen in the clear mountain sky. I am meeting the group I  will be hiking with through the wood. For this occasion I took out my old snowsuit, the same one I used to go skiing when I was 15, and that still fits me perfectly. I look like a pink version of the Michelin Man, or if you prefer, one of the astronauts from Interstellar, who washed her spacesuit with the red underwear from New Years Eve. Style does not matter. I am determined to see what is like to walk into the woods, with the sole light of the moon to lighten up the path.

The moonlight reflect itself on the snow creating a magical and surreal atmosphere. I immediately feel thousands of miles away from my chaotic world, and with every step I let go of insecurities, fears and tensions, allowing myself to be carried away in a peaceful and quiet world. The path takes me near two graveyards where British, Italians and Austrians soldiers who fought on these mountains during World War I rest. It is difficult not to imagine them, frightened and worn out from the terror of war, fighting and walking on those same paths I am in. I let myself be too absorbed by my own imagination, and I almost trip. The New Year has not made me an experienced hiker yet!

The moonlight is fascinating, but does not light up every inch of my path. I am not used to hike in the mountains, let alone in the dark! Some of that insecurity I thought I had left behind is coming back. I take a deep breath and start walking behind two of my fellow hikers. If they do not fall, why should I? And I follow their lead, without thinking too much, up to the lodge.

Here I found a delicious dinner waiting for me. Sausages, potatoes, cheese and, of course, good wine help to get the conversation between me and the others going. I got the chance to listen to their interesting stories, and learn plenty of new things, such as the existence of “Parampampoli”; a flaming beverage made of coffee, grappa, wine, sugar, honey and other spices. A quite delicious way to gain more energy before facing the night and the cold again.

The second half of the path, the one that would lead me back to the meeting point I started from, is almost entirely downhill. Which should be an excellent thing, if only I wasn’t the only human being who finds going up less challenging than going down. Indeed I was able to gently position my soft derierre on the leafy ground. Could I not end this adventure without ever falling once? Of course not! With the help of a little torch, and with the same spirit of before (one step after the other, no thinking) I got to the end safe and sound.

This first experience was really magical. I met many new people, walked for the first time under the sole moonlight, wandered through the woods in the semi-dark, proved to myself I can face my fears successfully, and tasted Parampampoli. It is going to be a tough one to beat. But I have still 50 weeks to surprise myself.