This morning we took our time, soaking in the beauty of the mountains around us before setting off for a walk around 10:30am. The trail climbed steadily uphill for about an hour, winding mostly through pine forest. It was incredibly calm. Just us and the sounds of nature, with no one else in sight.

At the top, we came across a post box! It was just a hollow in a tree with a guestbook tucked inside. It felt like a geocache, except you didn’t have to hunt for it. I loved the idea. We added our names and saw we were the only ones from New Zealand. Most others had come from Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

On the way down, the path followed a rushing river, going crazy with snowmelt. Later we passed a gushing waterfall, also going crazy. This really is the perfect time of year to witness the sheer force of the water.

We decided to spend another night at the same camp spot. It’s just too beautiful to leave, especially with the sunny day and finally warm enough to sit outside. We even did laundry using river water and had a shower, which basically involved getting slightly damp and calling it hygiene.

The rest of the day we simply relaxed, enjoying doing absolutely nothing.