June comes to a close and so our wild alphabet is also complete.
I have been away from home these past few days, based in Chamonix, reacquainting myself with the range of mountains in which I first tentatively tried climbing.
The weather has not been kind to us. It has, I suppose, been appropriately wild. On our first day we managed to complete the traverse of the Aiguilles Marbrées on the Mont Blanc Massif, but the rest of the week has been an almost total wash out. Things were looking up yesterday when we stepped aboard the Flégère cable car but by the time we had hiked up to the base of the climb our luck had once again run out; self-generating mist, like the smoke from a genies lamp, rose and swirled, shrouding the white peaks of Mont Blanc, offering occasional glimpses of what might have been but thickening to a heavy blanket of cloud which lowered itself and stifled our day. Sun. Rain. Hail. Snow. The lot. Four, wild seasons in one hour.
But what does it have to do with happiness?
Well this week's trip has been the culmination not only of 30 Days Wild but also of a much longer wait to step into my (now dated) crampons, grasp my (now dated) ice axe and wander out onto an alpine glacier. What has limited me doing this in the last 10 or 15 years is a varied series of barriers; as many perceived as are real.
But it is not time to dwell on my abandonment of mountains in favour of less spiritually rewarding pursuits. My love of the outdoors and being just a little wild is once again a guiding light in my life; part of my life redesign and a source of immense enjoyment.
Being a little "wild" is an integral element in my happiness.
30 Days Wild, has primarily been an opportunity for me to share this with my daughter and to introduce her to a few micro-adventures to help her connect with all things wild, even if only in a small measure.
It has been a pleasure, mostly simple, occasionally difficult to find the time to write a blog post, but never boring. Both Emma and I have had great fun doing it. I have been able to share some things I enjoy with my daughter and she has grown more confident from experiences such as making a video, camping out at night, paddling on the river and "playing" with creepy crawlies.
So I leave you with a run down of our 30 Days Wild Alphabet and a big thank you to the Wildlife Trusts.
A Wild Alphabet
- A is for Ant
- B is for Butterfly
- C is for Cooking [Video]
- D is for Damsels and Dragons
- E is for Earthworm [Video]
- F is for Flowers
- G is for Grass
- H is for Happiness
- I is for Ice Cream [Video]
- J is for Juvenile
- K is for Kite
- L is for Ladybird [Video]
- M is for Mini-Beasts
- N is for Nocturnal
- O is for Owl
- P is for Paddling [Video]
- Q is for Quill
- R is for Robin
- S is for Snake
- T is for Trees
- U is for Urban
- V is for Verse
- W is for Waste [Video]
- X is for ‘Xtinct
- Y is for Youtube
- Z is for Zoology