An Adventure Filled Saturday On Mount Grappa

Saturday morning I set forth to climb the beautiful Mt. Grappa. What I thought was going to be a lovely, laid back hike, turned into a grueling three and a half hour climb/ tundra trek.

            As I began my journey upwards the birds were eagerly chirping and I could smell the fresh scent of spring air. The beauty of the mountains ahead, the green leaves that began to sprout from the trees, and the purple, tiny, flowers scattered throughout mesmerized me. The sun beat down on my back as I began to feel tired from the constant incline. After an hour and a half of trekking up the mountain I encountered some snow. I was thrilled at the sight of the sparkling snow because I knew I was getting closer to the summit. After thirty minutes of hiking through the snow I laughed at myself for ever being excited to reach snow, because this was much harder than walking on the dirt path. With each step that I took, I plunged into a foot and a half of snow and then had to yank my entire leg out. This process repeated for another hour and a half. Forty painful minutes later I made it to what I thought was the summit, but quickly saw another point farther ahead. I slowly regained my strength and continued forward. Meanwhile, the view was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Looking around all I could see was the glistening snow and the dark reflections from the stumpy tress, covered in bluish-green needles. At last, I could see the top of the mountain 30 feet away. I was in the final stretch and I kept reminding myself that the view at the top was worth every ache and pain I was experiencing throughout my body. Next thing I know, I had made it to the top of Mt. Grappa. As I looked around I felt like I was on top of the world. I was overjoyed and proud of myself for successfully climbing my first mountain. My stomach was growling and in need of food, but I could not move away from this wondrous view. The incredible sight and accomplished feeling are two things that I will never forget. It is truly an accomplishment to be able to say that I have successful climbed a mountain in Italy.