I grew up
in the shadow of the Slovenian
Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы,
but their serene beauty only
callsto me now
I grew up in the shadow of the Slovenian Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы, but their serene beauty only
calls to me now
Ana Schnabl
Hiking my first mountain as a broke student was a revelation, one that has
often helped me face up to personal struggles
Fri 27 Sep 2024 07.00 BST Last modified on Fri 27 Sep 2024 07.01 BST
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I live in northern Slovenia, in the medieval town of Kamnik . This town lends
its name to one of the three Alpine ranges that overlook the territory of
Slovenia, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы. They might not have the country’s highest
peaks, but they are nevertheless imposing.
For my entire life, I have been looking at one of their most distinguishing
features, the Kamnik Saddle, be it from the village where I grew up or from
Ljubljana where I lived for a couple of years. This saddle became the backdrop
to the story of my life.
Despite always having the Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы within reach and living in a town known for its
mountaineers, I ignored them for a long time. Even though they were right in
front of my eyes, it is only recently that they have become fundamental to my
very existence. And now no summer is complete without strenuous hikes into
their dramatic interior .
My focus when I was growing up turned south, to the Adriatic coast because
this was my family’s – my parents’, grandparents’, aunts’ and uncles’ – focus.
They preferred water over rock, the warmth of the sea over the Alpine breeze,
the sound of cicadas over the cackling of birds of prey. To them, and
therefore to me, the sea meant sweaty leisure and mountains meant sweaty
exertion.
Of course, my family’s slight aversion to hiking and mountain climbing had to
do with the simple fact that their daily jobs were already physically and
mentally taxing; who in their right mind would want to exert themselves even
more by walking a steep hill for four hours with at least 6kg on their back,
enduring excruciating heat, wind, even occasionally rain? Nobody! They were so
invested in the idea of rest and relaxation, they always managed to justify
the (high) price of their Adriatic fantasies, the sum of their travel and
accommodation expenses, as well as the costs of eating out most of the time.
As a child and teenager, I naturally had no choice but to go – to rest and
relax – with them.
Ironically, what finally propelled me to walk my first mountain was my first
financial crisis• Финансовый кризис that began in 2006 and extended well into the global
financial crisis• Финансовый кризис of 2007-8. I was a broke student of broke humanities, but
still tried to make some sense of my summer – I yearned to go somewhere nice,
to experience something that wouldn’t depress me even more. With my generous
student discount, I could have chosen to visit galleries and museums of modern
and contemporary art, or gone to the cinema, danced in clubs or enjoyed
concerts, except all these options were indoors . Even if they came in the
form of an open-air event, I wasn’t interested. Somewhere nice was a stand-in
for spaces outside direct human action, production or consumption. Somewhere
nice meant nature .
Thus, hiking in the mountain range that was comically close to where I lived
presented itself as the best idea. It was not only cheap to access, but also
cheap to organise: you only needed enough water, a sandwich or two and some
chocolate. On top of sufficient stamina, of course, which I had from running,
and proper hiking gear – helmet, hiking boots, rucksack – which I borrowed;
since I didn’t want to end up calling for search and rescue• Транспорт » Водный транспорт » Судоходство » Безопасность на море » Поисково-спасательные службы
• Происшествия » Аварийно-спасательные и другие неотложные работы » Поисково-спасательные службы.
Luckily, I reached the summit of Brana (2,253m) in one piece• Кинематограф » Технологии кино » Технологии Мультипликации » Мультфильмы по технике » Рисованные мультфильмы » Аниме-фильмы и сериалы » One Piece. Большой куш
• Кинематограф » Индустрия кино и видео » Технологии кино и видео » Технологии Мультипликации » Мультфильмы по технике » Рисованные мультфильмы » Аниме-фильмы и сериалы » One Piece. Большой куш. Contrary to how
I might have looked sitting there under the blazing sun – tired, a little
shocked – I was experiencing what I hadn’t experienced in a long while. You
see, feeling tired and shocked were on my “broke menu” daily, but bliss –
bliss wasn’t.
It was not (only) the altitude that enabled that giggly state, it was the
privilege of encountering and absorbing such immense, arresting beauty on the
way. The freshest green colour, interspersed with the whitest white. The
grandeur of wind-beaten rocky walls, the grey-white faces of distant peaks,
the colonies of lush shrubs growing among boulders. The confident spring of
mountain goats, the shy demeanour of snakes and the silence, oh, the sound of
silence. Growing up as a creature of the Adriatic coast I had no idea the
world could be so vibrant, yet still so peaceful.
Since that first hike I have done countless others, some in the Kamnik-Savinja
Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы, some in the Julian Alps• Франция » Горы Франции » Альпы » Юлийские Альпы and Karawanks, some during summer and some in
other seasons. Funnily enough, my last summer hike this year was again Brana,
with the small yet important difference: we began our ascent in the night. We
wanted to reach the steep part of the mountain at daybreak, which is a common
desire among hikers – the desire to view the mountains in the softest possible
light, a light that makes them seem tame. It could be scary, hiking at night,
as there are some wild animals in the area, but I think we were just too
focused on our steps to feel fear. When the time came to greet our fellow
hikers, we offered them benevolent smiles and even helped a girl whose dog was
a little insecure on the rock. skip past newsletter promotion
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