Taking time in Tyrol
I SOMETIMES WONDER if there are two walkers in me, tussling for dominance. There is the man who likes to go fast: a creature of firm trails and Alpine sunshine, a light pack and big miles, dodgy bivouacs and shoestring budgets. Then there’s the guy who appreciates a slower, more considered pace, fond of midday siestas, lazy starts and early finishes. The two styles don’t have to be mutually exclusive but accommodating them both can require some give and take.
Most of the time, I am the grubby ultralighter, and the slow-and-steady connoisseur doesn’t get much of a look in. But, just sometimes, it all comes together to show me just what I’ve been missing.
Alpine yearning
My summer that year had been one to remember, testing my ultralight skills in the lightning-strafed cirques of France’s Mercantour National Park. Having fed that particular rat, I wanted more. Then, out of the blue, Visit Tirol got in touch: “How would you like to come and hike the Karwendel Höhenweg in Austria? A nice, chilled-out hut tour with short days, good food and lovely mountain views.” It did sound nice, but it also sounded a lot slower than what I’d been yearning for. On the other hand, was I seriously going to turn down an offer like that?
It had been years since my
