The Walking Dom

Section 15-20
Adelboden - Montreux

Podcast of the day: Conan O'Brien needs a friend

Song of the day: ‘Heartwreck’ by Press Club

I miss: Anything cold. It. Is. Hot.

390 km
16 days
14 Alpine passes
23'500 m Ascents
24'700 m Descents
1 happy Dom

I was running around town looking for snacks, when I saw the same bright orange shoes I knew all too well. It was Leonie and she was looking for food like I was. Then Lukas joined us, a geologist I had met a couple days earlier in Griesalp, so loaded with snacks, the three of us hiked out of Lenk while the sun was beating down on us. It was a lovely day, without a cloud in the sky. We hiked over rolling hills, a mountain pass and then down a valley where we found a stray dog houling for its people. Luckily Joy, which we discovered was her name, had a collar around her neck with a phone number we were able to call. We returned Joy to her person, grabbed a beer and off we were to Gstaad. Now that is what I call a rich town. Jesus Christ. There’s just so much money there. Crazy castles, crazy mansions and chalets. Leonie decided that she would stay at the campsite in town where as Lukas and I decided to climb another 600m to find a spot with a better view and less people. An hour or so later, we found a beautiful place behind a farmhouse with e 360° view of the Gstaader panorama. The stars were magic with zero light pollution and all we could hear that night was the sound of cow bells in the distance.

Two days later, as I was hiking down the last hill of the Via Alpina, Montreux in sight, I asked myself why I had just hiked 16 days through the country. It was hot, humid, my legs felt heavy and my mini deodorant had given up that morning so I was smelly a.f. I kept pressing my arms against my body every time a day hiker passed by me, so he or she wouldn’t have to endure a whiff of not so fresh Dom odor. But back to the question. Why was I doing this? The answer came to me literally two minutes after, when I turned around the next bend with view of the Lac Leman.

It’s simple. What keeps me going is curiosity. What's around the next turn? What's at the top? How far can I go? How high can I go? For years I've been driven by insatible wonder. In my opinion, it's the greatest ‘feature’ I have. At the same time it's also the thing that makes me feel lonely at times, because wanting to know things means walking away from home and from my comfort zone. My friends and family. But it’s a price I’ve been willing to pay. Not sure if it’ll always stay this way, but for now it’s good.

I strongly believe that if you never put yourself out there, you'll never know what you're capable of. The trail has tought me a lot of things over the years when it comes to knowing my body and knowing how to act out in the woods. The Via Alpina isn’t crazy dangerous or super challenging. It’s tough, but only as tough as you want it to be. I had a blast hiking through Switzerland. A short but sweet little journey through the Alps. I got to meet some pretty interesting people such as sheep shepherds, farmers, geologists, pilots, rugby players, cheese makers and many more. I made some new friends and new memories with old friends. Things become so easy when you live from day to day and that’s what I love about being on trail the most. It’s simple.

The world is a beautiful place, and I want to know what's around the next bend. Next stop: The Colorado Trail.