Glistening Forest

Third time’s the charm, so they say. I had attempted the mountain pass above Val d’Arpette twice before, and twice I had failed. The first time was while hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2020, one of my first backpacking trips. I was pretty late in the season, and after a lot of fresh snowfall, I attempted to cross the pass. Just a few hundred meters below the top, I was forced to turn around when I started sinking waist-deep between hidden boulders in a complete whiteout. It’s actually one of the very few times I’ve ever spoken in one of my films, with the now somewhat famous words: “Mission abort.” The second attempt came two years ago, when I wanted to hike the Haute Route. An exceptionally warm spring had left the snow in terrible condition, and this time I didn’t even get close to the col before avalanche danger forced me to turn around. In the summer of 2026, I tried for a third time. This time I was in luck and finally made it across the pass, with beautiful views of the glaciers and surrounding mountains. On the way back down, I made camp early in Val d’Arpette around 3 p.m. as a large rainstorm moved in. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening reading in my tent, listening to the rain outside. The next morning was cold, but the sun came out. I packed up my wet gear and started hiking. As the sunlight began breaking through the trees, it caught thousands of raindrops still clinging to the branches, making the entire forest glisten. Rain might not be my favorite weather to hike in, but it sure creates some beautiful scenery.