Un regard vers le ciel.... (A gaze toward the sky...)

Yesterday, I profited from the amazing fact that I am living in the midst of three very stunning mountain ranges, and I went for a delightful afternoon hike.  Since it rained for a good part of Saturday morning, I popped out of bed for church on Sunday morning and headed straight for my window.  Throwing back the curtain, I surveyed the still-sleeping sky....and though the morning mist was still clearing and the sun had barely touched the tips of the mountains, I could tell it was going to be a very splendid day.  And that it was.

After church, I caught a bus that took me up and into the Chartreuse Mountains, whose round rocky peaks and densely forested hills sprawl out just behind Rabot.  From Grenoble, it appears that the Bastille sits on the highest point in that direction; I, however, had heard otherwise and was anxious to discover this ever-existing "presence" just over the top.

Zoe, a wonderful girl from Aberdeen, Scotland, planned the trek with me.  We met during a tour of the city our very first week, and somehow learned that we both enjoyed hiking.  Thus, a very unique and precious friendship formed!  It's amusing how randomly relationships form during a study abroad experience.

The day was perfect; we hiked straight--straight--straight uphill for the first hour, but my fresh legs, not to mention my excitement, made it hardly a strain.  The trees are in the throes of transformation, and with the striking blue sky always above them, the vibrancy of the contrast is gorgeous; I honestly wanted to take a picture every two minutes (I spared Zoe and did not).  The weather was perfectly crisp for hiking and there were never any fences along the edge of the ridge we were hiking along, so we got some great glances down the sheer rocky drop off.  We hiked along the ridge all the way to an old French fort named St. Eynard, where we enjoyed a simply breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains and valley.  From this summit, I observed a glider plane weaving just above us, a man who had a hiker's backpack designed specifically to hold a small child (and he was putting it to good use!), and best of all, a donkey.  We were glancing around and trying to find a better look-out when low-and-behold, there was a donkey grazing on the fort's roof!  No big deal.

We ended up taking a different route home and hiked all the way down into Grenoble, covering an altitude difference of 1140 meters (3740 feet)!  We passed by a lot of small farming villages and a few really charming villas.  The quiet journey gave me a lot of time to think, to pray, and to recite Scripture in my head, passages that I have memorized in the past.  When we finally got back to accessible trams and Zoe's house, I decided to finish the last leg on foot, and out of sheer determination, walked the three miles back UP the mountain to Rabot. ;-)  My legs ached last night, just a little.

This weekend, I plan to hike a different mountain range, Les Vercours, with a group of students from my University.  I'm going to try to profit as much as possible from this cheap, healthy fun, especially since it rejuvinates my spirit and gives the Lord opportunity to speak to my heart!

You are glorious and more majestic
      than the everlasting mountains. psalm 76:4