I’m always amazed by nature’s ability to blow away the cobwebs. It doesn’t take much - a dip in the sea, a countryside ramble, a pub with a particularly leafy view. These snippets of ‘the wild’ are often all I need for my thoughts to slow, my shoulders to drop and my mind to focus on nothing but the glorious present.
Stepping away from the everyday and into wilderness is good for the soul, yet sometimes we need something a little more dramatic to fully reset. Indeed, when things get really busy, and we’ve started to feel a little disconnected from ourselves and those around us, a serious, prolonged injection of nature is often the only antidote. And if you can add excellent food and even better company into the mix, then it’s astounding how quickly all can seem right with the world.
So, a few days after sending the Japan mag to print (with my mind still mulling over commas and tenses), I set off for Chamonix to spend four days getting back to myself by hiking and e-biking up mountains with Girl Powder Retreats.
Many find their Zen by taking to the slopes in winter, but I’ve always loved exploring the mountains in late summer when the trails are dappled, the air is improbably clear, and I know that raclette awaits me at view-boasting refuges. And while my Girl Powder Retreat offered all of this, what made the experience truly special was the people I got to hike with. Because these retreats, as the name might imply, are designed for women, and that breeds a unique type of camaraderie. For while some participants join with friends, and others (like me) come solo, everyone is there to connect.
I’ve always had an obsession with words that don’t have a direct English counterpart, and one of my favourites is sonder - the realisation that everyone around you has an inner life that’s as complex and nuanced as your own. When we feel sonder, it’s often because someone has shared part of their story - which you can only really do when given the space and time to open up.
And sonder was certainly something I felt on this retreat. As we hiked, savoured sundowners and cycled along crystalline waterways, we chatted about our lives and aspirations - and the things that had brought us to the French mountains. It was a refreshing reminder that everything feels so much richer when you have the chance to connect.
Our Girl Powder base was the stunning Chalet Mélèzes - which may look like a traditional chalet (in keeping with the Chamonix aesthetic), but is a feat of contemporary design once you step inside. It comes with a swim-SPA, sauna, central fireplace (the ideal spot to gather for a pre-dinner Spritz), balconies aplenty, panoramic views of Mont Blanc and Aiguille du Midi, and a rather swish gym. The latter, along with an outdoor terrace, were used for our early-evening yoga sessions with Sema from Anicha Yoga - whose dreamy massages are also not to be missed.
And these relaxed yoga classes were necessary - a calming way to stretch and reset after uphill climbs, a spot of parapending, or a morning in the hydrotherapy pools of QC Terme Chamonix.
Chalet Mélèzes also boasts a palatial kitchen; but that’s not something you need to worry about, because dinners, breakfasts and afternoon cakes are prepared by a team of private chefs. Lunches, meanwhile, are enjoyed in a range of restaurants - some are found in the heart of town, while others can only be reached on foot. I was enamoured with Buvette du Chapeau’s tarte Tatin and the magical things Crèmerie du Glacier do with cheese, and am keen to return to Rose du Pont, a Belle Epoque-style, riverside bar.
I spent half an hour on my final afternoon wending my way back from Chamonix alone, following the Arve River (which changes colour throughout the year - the summer glacier melt making it almost white). It was an easy stroll along a flat, forested path - worlds away from the exhilarating e-biking route we’d tackled earlier that day. But I’d set off on my walk to take stock of all that had unfolded during my stay; the trails we’d braved and the conversations that flowed. Girl Powder was the reminder I needed to get back into nature, and to seek out exceptional company whenever I can.
