The mountain is beautiful.
And it is profoundly transformative.

Those who walk or practice mountain sports will likely agree. The mountain offers a space of escape, awe, wonder, astonishment, and contemplation. In my own journey, competition gradually came to resemble an elevator toward contemplation.

Deeply in love with mountain landscapes, there was a time when my entire being — soul, heart, and body — longed for the mountains. A great love story was born. From the Scottish hills to the Alps, the call grew ever stronger.

In Scotland, hiking trails are scarce, which makes exploration and discovery all the more fascinating. Equipped with compass and maps, alongside my British university colleagues, we would set out to discover steep paths in the Highlands, climbing mountains and hills — modest in altitude, no more than 1,200 meters.
The Highland cattle, with their long hair, left us speechless; their beauty and gentleness disarmed us. The grandeur of these landscapes, though different from that of the vast Canadian plains, marked my soul deeply.

When the Covid pandemic arrived, a professional opportunity in the Alps presented itself almost naturally. Without hesitation, I moved to the heart of one of Europe’s most beautiful mountain ranges, in one of the most pleasant cities in France.
Haute-Savoie became an immense playground. I felt like a child again, escaping at midday or in the evenings into the waters of Lake Annecy or the surrounding mountains.

Every weekend became an opportunity to go farther, higher, with my companions — mostly men. On ski touring trips, in trail-running shoes, or in hiking boots, we roamed the peaks of Savoie and Haute-Savoie, probably without realizing it at the time, in search of ourselves.

I did not yet know it, but these paths of athletic exploration would lead me, a few years later, toward an exploration of a different nature. Outer exploration and inner exploration are not so different after all. Both seek, without always naming it, to reach something greater: an infinite space, an absolute that surpasses everything, a return to what is essential, to the simplicity of the heart… and to Love.

The many sports competitions I had the privilege to take part in over several years were a true gateway to contemplating the world. Until the day my body, injured, said stop.
It whispered to me that I no longer needed to run marathons or ultra-trails, nor to search endlessly outside myself, in order to discover what truly matters.

And so another journey began.

I started walking thousands of kilometers, on pilgrimage. These paths, profoundly healing, led me back to human interiority: the work of introspection, acceptance, healing, and self-knowledge. A path that says a great yes to life.

Every path is different.
But is not the purpose of life, deep down, to reconnect with Love and with fraternity?

Clémence