What to Bring on Vacation

a non-extensive packing guide for Tour du Mont Blanc

This summer, Jason and I spent 16 days hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc (with some rest days on the beginning, end, and a couple in the middle). I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but… tears of joy come to my eyes when I look at the pictures. I am incredibly grateful for that experience and to have had that much time with Jason. Along this quest, I had to pack lighter than ever, and I developed a deep affection for these hiking trip MVPs. If you have an adventure before you, let this packing list be your guide.

• Hiking boots - my goodness, I love my Danners so much I could hug and squeeze them. They carried me for over 100 miles of hiking through the Alps - through rivers and waterfalls, across snow-packed trails and rocky terrain.

• Wool socks - all of Jason’s military experiences has amounted to a simple but trustworthy hiking get-up for your tootsies. Wool socks dry fast. Even when we had to be shin-deep in rushing snow-melt water, our boots and socks would quickly dry, and we remained blister-free for the entire hike.

• Saltwater sandals - when the hotels and huts welcome your weary soul after a long day, they will invite you to drop off your boots and hiking poles before you come in. I believe there is no greater relief than plopping onto a wooden bench, unlacing your boots, and freeing your feet. Sandals are a spa day after 10-mile hikes.

• A Kindle - when I tell people we did a hiking vacation, some people have an adverse response. “That doesn’t sound relaxing.” You’d be surprised how relaxing it is and how much free time you still end up with. Our daily hikes averaged around nine miles, which meant we would usually get into the next town with a few hours to spare before dinner. I read more books on this trip than I’ve ever read in 2.5 weeks. A Kindle paperwhite has the energizer bunny powering it, and since we rarely ever had phone service, there were no distractions. What a grace.

• A no-nonsense dress - Your girl is totally up for a hike, but I still wanted that European vacation experience of feeling lovely in a dress and going out to dinner. I packed a no-nonsense, black dress from H&M. I got multiple wears out of it, and it was just enough to make me feel like a new person after long days of hiking.

• Hiking poles and humility - Our first day of hiking was nine miles of straight downhill. I was quite sore for the last two miles, and it was only day one. Oof. In spite of all the working out and preparing I did, the first three days were the hardest. Before this trip I would have believed that hiking poles don’t help much, but they were a saving grace for our tired legs. The silver lining was my triceps got more work than I would have expected on a hiking trip.

• Curiosity - The first hut we stayed at was… rustic (as was the next). Over two hours away from any civilization and the only shelter for miles, we didn’t have much of a choice but to stay. I skeptically set up my bunk bed in our tiny room that slept nine. Everyone that had arrived before advised against using the showers. “The water is ice cold, and there is no heated water available”. Weary from the first three days of hiking, we headed down to dinner where we had assigned seats and ate family style. We shared a table with people from all over the world. The hospitality shown was one of the warmest experiences I’ve ever had. We shared in conversation - not about our work or the typical things that define us in daily conversation, but about our hike and our why; about where we are from and what it’s really like. Shoulder to shoulder, around a humble meal, we experienced global hospitality. These are the same people we would pass the next several days of our hike, and share a warm greeting, feeling a togetherness. The hospitality I experienced in the Alps around Mount Blanc is something I’ll never forget, and I would have missed out on it had I gotten hung up on the less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements a hut offers.

• Your mothering spirit - I don’t know if I could have hiked the TMB before I had children. Not because I wasn’t strong, but because I know that motherhood taught me resilience. The way mothering teaches you to find laughter and lightness in the hardest experiences - this carried me through the windy, rainy hours, the snowy trails, and the aches and pains.

• The body you have - Through motherhood and age, my body has changed. I work hard to feel strong, but sometimes I long for my younger body. This trip also required me to have a very minimal, basically nonexistent makeup and hair routine. But day in and day out, bare faced, wavy hair tamed as best I can, with my strong, softened body carrying me, my gratitude for this body grew.