What is so beautiful about travelling or being on the road are definitely “Begegnungen”. Encounters. Meeting people. Experiencing nature. Crossing path with animals. Sometimes finding yourself. During the 28-hiking-days-experience I was cherished with wonderful encounters. And this time, animals definitely left an impression on me.
There was the goat. I heard it crying in the bush, I could feel it wasn’t the usual tone, no, it was as it were very sad and shouting for help. So I started talking to it and it came over to me and followed my path. We were hiking together for more than an hour. Sometimes I wanted to send it back but it wouldn’t leave me, even when crossing streets, it was just very close, close on my heels. And the billy goat seemed comfortable, to the people in cars passing by it must have been a funny picture, they smiled at us. So only when we arrived to the next village it turned out that the goat had been lost and the owner was looking for it. So happy ending, the goat could be returned to the owner 🙂
A herd of cows and sheep made me reflect on leadership…after my friendly “good morning”, the herd followed me uphill…I have to admit, for moments I felt good and for others I was scared…were they following me in a good mood or were they angry at me? How to know? And for how long will they follow me? Did they take me as their leader to the next level of the Alp? Or did they simply feel disturbed and wanted to protect their young calf…I was running uphill…just in case…finally climbing on a big rock – since no cow would make it up there – just to breath a little and see what happens and what mood they bring along…luckily, they came in peace and were happy on this next higher level up hill where they found stables too…uff…I think was not yet prepared for this kind of leadership 😉
After almost three weeks in the mountains and nature, I spent some moments in a small city. I felt like an alien…impressed it went so quickly…I was no longer a big city girl…but then the next day only, I went to a natural reserve again…and at some point, a snake crossed my path…I took a big jump back…my heart was beating fast…o dear, it was one of those poisonous snakes, the few ones we have in Switzerland…I was scared…it was the moment when I realized that I also wasn’t the female edition of Indiana Jones… 😉
I also met wonderful and inspiring people along the way. In the Capanna Barone shared the food and interesting conversations with two other guests, both dedicated to humanitarian work. In Capanna Soveltra, I was received with a good glass of wine and was invited for the polenta and to share a lovely sunday afternoon with music. The president with the guitar, the pilot with the harmonica and voices of who ever wanted to sing – it was wonderful! It was so wonderful that I did return to the hut at a later stage…I’ll tell you more about the hut in a next blog post. 
People can be so open, I was touched when they shared with me very personal stories and insights about their lives. Sometimes about how they overcame difficulties, what it changed in their lives and what really matters to them today. Sometimes just about how they approach things or value them – so it allowed me to take new perspectives on things as well. Overall, I was also very well received in all places and wherever I spent the night – that makes a real difference and I do really appreciate it. Thank you!!!
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