What We Found Halfway Up the Mountain
What We Found Halfway Up the Mountain
We went for a hike.
Me, Kato, and Icki.
No big plan. No destination in mind. Just a day that felt right for walking into the woods, letting our feet lead the way.
Halfway up the trail, it started to rain. Not a sprinkle — real rain. The kind that soaks your shirt and turns the path into something muddy, slippery, and funny.
And Kato? He lit up. He was in his element — jumping over puddles, inventing stories about forest creatures, calling Icki into little adventures off the main path. His joy was wild and full-bodied, the kind that doesn't check the weather or wonder if you're making good time.
We didn’t make it to the top.
And I didn’t mind one bit.
Because somewhere in that rain-soaked middle, I realized:
This is what it’s about.
Not getting to the summit.
Not checking something off a list.
Just being together.
In motion.
In the trees. I
n the moment.
With my kid.
With our dog.
With no agenda beyond joy.
We laughed. We splashed.
We turned back without regret.
When we got to the car, the rain had stopped.
We sat on the edge of the trunk, legs swinging, eating sandwiches with muddy hands and happy hearts.
Icki curled up beside us, soaked and satisfied.
We didn’t talk much — we didn’t have to.
The moment held itself.
I carried that home with me.
Not the view from the top.
But something better: a shared experience that asked nothing of us but to be in it.
Maybe we’ll hike that trail again.
Maybe we’ll reach the top next time.
Or maybe we won’t.
Because I think we already found what we came for.
With love, Sophie
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy My First Market Experience — it’s about what it felt like to share my work in person for the very first time.
🎥 Coming soon: I filmed a little video from our hike — muddy boots, forest giggles, sandwich smiles and all.
I’ll share it on my YouTube channel this Thursday July 24th. If you’d like to see the moment come to life, subscribe and stay tuned.