Montagne Sainte-Victoire
Then and there I decided that we needed to take a closer look at this mountain, and if possible, we had to climb it — at least part of it.
It was chilly, the wind was blowing too, but I was stubborn — I have a mission now, we have to go. Luckily, over those six weeks I had raised adventurers out of my dogs as well, and my enthusiasm rubbed off on them too. We set off from the Painters’ Garden, found the way, and soon parked at the foot of the mountain. And people hike here! They walk, cycle, climb—so we weren’t alone. In the first parking lot we didn’t find a spot, we had to go on. Fortunately, those who make decisions and take action also noticed that many people come hiking, and that the infrastructure should support and serve hikers: fifty meters away I found another parking lot and there was already space there.
We got out — Gerbeaud on a leash for now; I don’t put one on Panka by default unless the surroundings or a police officer force me to. I concluded the terrain was such that it would be safer for everyone if I let
Gerbeaud
go too. Steep, very narrow paths with rolling stones—better safe than sorry, here everyone is responsible for themselves. As I wrote, many people were hiking—children, young people, middle-aged, older folks, many with trekking poles, which they benefited from mostly on the way back—and how! This mountain is no joke; I don’t blame Cézanne for wanting to paint it: not only its beauty, but its physical reality is a real challenge too. The merely “normally steep” paths eventually turned into almost vertical rock faces, and there were people attempting that as well, but that—alone, with two dogs—was not my terrain. We went a lot; I was very pleased with all three of us, but recklessness and an “I’ll show you” attitude had no place here. I admired the height we reached, patted ourselves on the shoulder in my mind, and we started down the long path. Carefully, thoughtfully, watching where we step — an ankle sprain is not an option.
There was a section where there were olive trees on rocky, stony ground, each with its own irrigation hose. Mind-blowing!
When we got down, each dog got a few well-deserved treats. I’m very happy we came, that we climbed as far as was sensible and safe for us. This is a very special mountain. Back home the kids lay around for hours, completely wiped out, and I watched the March 15 commemoration in Hungary. The uplifting one, the truly peace-minded one. Not the fear-mongering one by Orbán.
My step count today: 13,412
