Day four
The first light of day entering the building woke me the next morning. Even though I pulled my shirt over my eyes to remain in complete darkness, I could feel that it was slowly time to leave. After stretching my muscles and simply enjoying the fact that I had spent the night in an abandoned hotel, I quietly stood up, careful not to wake Émilie, and began packing my things. "Are you going to leave?" she asked, opening her eyes while remaining nestled inside her sleeping bag. "Yes." "I wish you good luck. Have fun." "You too. Enjoy your day at the waterfalls." With that, she closed her eyes once more and settled back into her sleeping bag, resting her head on the bundle of clothes that had served as her pillow. I put on the shirt I had hung on a rope the previous evening, hoping it had dried at least some of the sweat. The other guest of the abandoned Grand Hôtel was also packing his belongings, preparing to leave. As he stood up, he finally noticed me. We exchanged a brief smile before quickly leaving the building, each following his own path. Outside, the area was already beginning to buzz with hikers from the nearby campsites, all eager to press on.The trail soon narrowed beneath the pines before climbing steeply, and the gentle forest floor gradually gave way to bare granite rock. The stream running alongside the path quickly transformed into a lively mountain torrent, tumbling over countless waterfalls and carving deep, crystal-clear pools into the massive granite—the famous Cascade des Anglais. I could easily picture Émilie spending the day there, reading a book, occasionally taking a refreshing bath before warming herself once again on the sun-baked stone. I almost envied her. But as my body and mind enjoyed the challenging climb, I was reminded that I had come here for hiking. Being curious once more about what lay ahead, the thought of taking a bath myself soon vanished. I did, however, allow my thoughts to wander while filling up my flasks. Water would soon become scarce and, with the heat already building, it seemed as though this would be an exceptionally warm day. And so I pictured myself slipping into one of the cold pools while my arms rested on the warm granite. How the day could have been if I had decided to rest instead of climbing up. That much, at least, I permitted myself.
(...)
