In June 2021 we went to Val Veny for a weekend immersed in the magnificence of Mont Blanc.
Friday – Tear down walls and build bridges
It all started on Friday evening when the girls arrived at Camping La Sorgente, a true family-run paradise on the slopes of Europe’s highest pick. We took them to their magical all-wood bungalow.
The group was made of girls from the most diverse backgrounds: at dinner they spoke in Italian, French, English, Spanish and even Arabic!
After a delicious taste of healthy local specialties, made for us by an exceptional chef, we took a moment for ourselves. We gathered wood and in front of the fire, we asked each other: “Who are you?”. The deal was to answer without mentioning family, geography, or work. “Tell us who you are, and then about the time you were successful and how many difficulties you had to overcome to achieve your goals”. We have the feeling too often we forget what we’ve been capable of, sometimes we just need a little help to remember it.
And then we went off to rest in the silence of the valley: a long day awaited us!
Saturday – Remove obstacles and look down from above
The biggest obstacles? Ourselves, our fears, our prejudices.
On Saturday we got rid of them: embarked on various adventures and discovered the Divine Feminine strength that lies in all of us. After a gentle yoga session, we got on our e-bikes and set off into the forest with its lights and shadows, bridges over the river and bumpy climbs.
Even those who had never thought of cycling uphill before came to enjoy the view from Rifugio Elisabetta towards Lake Combal, surrounded by snow in the middle of summer! From there we could admire the summit of Mont Blanc (4810m) and look down on our little starting point: a change of perspective.
On the way back, to overcome the obstacle that did not allow us to see the Lac du Miage, we left our bikes and continued on foot along a path. We found the pure water of the glacier and took a regenerating dip, pictures and had good conversations and a well-deserved packed lunch.
On the way down to the valley, we decided to take part in the activities organized by Green Weekend of Courmayeur Mont Blanc: climbing and slack-line tests.
Before dinner, in the tranquillity of Peuterey, we gathered for a meditation “from above – you are your mountain” and after dinner, we continued the tradition of the bonfire under the stars. “What was the moment where you were most out of your comfort zone today?” “Cycling downhill on all those rocks, but I said to myself ‘if the others do it, I can do it too!’ “
Sunday – Empower yourself
So how do you empower yourself? Let’s start our morning with a good habit: the Five Tibetans, otherwise known as “the secret of youth”.
We keep experimenting with new things because getting involved is always a great exercise, that’s why we proposed the girls to try and do a Ferrata. For many of us was the first time and required some guts! Before lunch, we went for a walk to admire the landscape and the magnificent flowers, the main characters of the summer season. Once we had eaten, we set off for the activity of the day: rafting!
Our instructor Sabo, originally from the Ivory Coast, explained the basics of the sport and safety protocols on land and then took us on our rafting adventure. The river was very voluminous and the water was rushing. We rediscovered ourselves as warriors, ancient Amazons, shouting, motivating and bracing each other.
It was an incredible, adrenalin-filled experience, especially when one of us flew into the water and we all worked together to recover her.
Back at the base, we talked about how important it is to practice daily gratitude (Writing down at least 3 things a day that you are grateful for) and said our goodbyes, thanking each other for helping us to overcome our fears and for the time spent with each other.
Until next time, girls!
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book
in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the
message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic
blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.