“With our summer in Chamonix coming to a close, and thus our trip in France inevitably ending as well, to finish this hike—the culmination of everything we had done in the past year—was incredibly satisfying. We traveled 120 miles and 40,000 vertical feet of the Swiss Alps, hiking amongst massive glaciers, snowy peaks and runaway mountain goats.”

Backpacking is a very empowering experience. You push yourself beyond your perceived limitations and struggle against both mind and body, sometimes unsure of success. There were moments when I wondered if we might have taken on too much by attempting the route in only eight days of hiking. But you can’t get stronger without a little suffering, and with every successful summit comes a great increase in mental and physical strength.