Mon Dieu!

Man, I had never been as sore from a hike as I was last night. If the second day after is the worst, as it so often is, I am really dreading tomorrow...

Where did I go to cause such distress to my rapidly aging body?

Funny you should ask!

Yesterday I went for a "walk," not a hike, up to the top of the highest peak of the Cornettes de Bise, the highest point surrounding Lake Geneva. I found this European distinction in the use of the word "walk" to be quite more distinct than I ever would have guessed, because for Americans, walking means like to the car, or down the street, or maybe at most around the nice little city park. Never in a million years would you find an American referring to what I did ysterday as merely "walking." I'm sure it is due to the basic diference in lifestyles between here and there, but of all the words whose usage differs between the 2 continents, walk is by far the biggest mutation.

So, little did I know that morning when I woke up late that this "walk" was going to be so tough. It wasn't hard-core, but it was definitely hard, and I think I may have done some actual damage to my knees.... still, it was totally worth it.

Unfortunately, my piece-of-crap Sony camera's battery went dead after only 8 or so photos, even though I charged it the night before, so I didn't wind up with many photos. The ones I did take are below, and probably don't need an explanation... they are all from the beginning of the hike, maybe the 1st 3/4 km or so.

Anyway, this walk is only about 4 km long, but in that 4 km, you gain a full km in elevation. The up was relentless, but the views were worth the pain. Along the way I saw a marmot and several mountain goats. One baby goat in particular was quite distressed and was just crying up a storm, while it's mother was ignoring it as she was drinking or something. I can only assume it was drinking, because she was taking in mouth's full of rocks, gringing them up, and spitting them out. I got a close up look at this process because by that time in the hike we were nearing the summit, and my eyes were glued to the path because I was so tired. One of my "walking" companions said "um, better watch it mate," at which time I looked up just in time to keep from bumping into said goat. The goat was about 4 feet in front of me, looking at me as though I were some idiot tourist with no sense of personal space, which I totally was. I backed away, took several pics w/ my cell phone (though I don't know how to get them off yet) and continued on.

When we finally reached the summit, there was a wooden cross, and an amazing panorama. You could see all of Lake Geneva, which was amazing considering it is the largest natural lake in Europe, as well as a variety of mountains, including the Eiger and Mont Blanc.

Since my camera was down, I've spent some time online trying to find pics that match up well with my experience. Here is a blog and another site (be sure to look towards the bottom of the page for the galleries!) which have nice photos as well as good information.

All in all it was a great experience, though on the down side it made me realize that my age is starting to cach up with me physically. I've never really hurt like this before, and I am a little concerned that this may portend worse thins o come. I'm planning a trip to the doc when I get home, and hopefully I can do something about this knee-thing.

T