June was an intense alpine month and I somehow managed to be surrounded by women I can only describe as Alpine Goddesses. Imagine high peaks, otherworldly blue streams and majestic glaciers – that is Göshenen. It was the pure bliss I needed to mark one year post DBS surgery. A goddess encounter, during a highly technical alpine trail (strewn with rocks, narrow, cliffs, rock fall warnings), stays in my heart. She appeared with the silence of a nimble footed doe and appeared somewhere between 52 and 107 years old. Her skin was carved from a lifetime in the alps and she had this grounding, light filled presence found by people that live their joy. I was awestruck by her grace and strength. In my rudimentary German, I asked about the trail conditions – is there snow on the trail? She looked us up and down, saw our gear, shoes and experience and answered – yes but you will be fine.
I had not shared with the group how terrifying I find snow covering technical trails. Imagine for a moment, those technical trails with steep cliffs on one side. Now imagine it covered with melting, slushy snow. The avalanche risk is real. One mis-step means you earn a free sled ride, minus sled, down a cliff. With dystonia, a misstep is a reality. This is the terror I wrestle while in the high peaks.
There were four snow patches, each between 30-50 m in width. I kept the Alpine Goddess’s words in my heart and her lightness in my feet. Stepping in the footprints before me, I traversed, landing every step perfectly. Pure bliss.
In the last stage of this hike, we had a choice – go up (steepness more than stairs but less than ladder) or loop back to our hut. Like every mountain gal, we choose up. My crew had Caroline Snow , who floats up climbs (boasting impressive ski touring and endurance adventures stats) and Nora Pöntynen who bounds up hills (pedigree of a lifetime of intense climbing and mountaineering). These two Alpine Goddesses created nonstop cheer, mischief and are joy personified. In so many small ways, they keep an eye out without fussing over me. I never would have been able to experience these trails without them. We spent so much of our time fangirling of the OG Alpine Goddess. Our unanimous opinion is we all want to be her. To age with a lightness of spirit and become part of the alps.
Our weekend ended in the most beautiful way. After our goodbyes to the marmot colony, we walked within a herd of goats and the sound of bells blanketed us. For some brief moments, we were Disney princesses too.
