By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News
PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Many educators take the summer months to rest, relax and rejuvenate for the upcoming fall semester. Louisiana Christian University’s Natalie Maxey and her family took a hike—a nearly 100-mile, 8,400-foot high one, that is.
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a hiking route around the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps and encompasses about 100 miles through France, Italy and Switzerland and includes significant elevation gains and losses through mountains and valleys (around 35,000 feet of losses and gains for the whole trek).
Maxey’s parents, Sam and Judy Brimer, of Pollock, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year, she said, and wanted to commemorate it with a big family trip. So they did just that! Maxey and son Grant, 18, her sister Amanda DuBois and her husband Vaylon ( a spring 2022 LCU graduate) and two children, Parker,22, and Grace, 19, along with the Brimers, took on the Tour du Mont Blanc this July.
“My mom started planning this last fall,” Maxey said, “and the huts fill up quickly, so all our accommodations were booked by about February. To prepare, we walked as much as possible and carefully curated all the items we would need in our backpacks to try to minimize their weight. We could only have what we could carry.”
Maxey said the love of adventure definitely starts with her parents, especially her mom, Judy.
“They have never been afraid of big projects, starting businesses, or crazy challenges, and they raised three little girls to all complete doctoral degrees and equipped us to take on our own challenges,” she said.
In 2022, Maxey completed part of the El Camino de Santiago in Spain with her mother. Judy Brimer learned about that journey during her breast cancer treatment. Her adventure is memorialized at https://purpleponchoperegrinas.tumblr.com/.
“This time, she wanted to do a similar adventure with my dad and the whole family,” Maxey said.
Accommodations varied throughout the journey. Most of the places to stay are huts, she said, but there are some hotels in the cities along the route.
“We stayed in a five-star hotel one night, and then slept in a tent a few days later,” Maxey said, “But mostly we were in bunkrooms with other hikers. Much of the trail is in very remote areas and nature preserves where there are no real roads, and the only cars allowed are those of the farmers who live there.
“We knew it would be hard, but the reality was harder than any of us expected. Once we got through the ‘what have we gotten ourselves into?’ phase and figured out how to adjust our plans, we also started to feel our legs and hearts getting stronger. We became more confident and proud of what we were accomplishing. So we all gained some resilience and grit.”
The route included the cities of Chamonix, France; Courmayeur, Italy; and Champex-Lac, Switzerland, as well as the mountain passes of Grand Col Ferret and Col de Balme.
The trip challenged them both physically and mentally. The blog of this adventure can be found at https://blancblazers.tumblr.com/.
“Physically, there was being at that elevation and having to make significant ascents and descents most days,” she said. “The trail was rocky. It was hot or it was raining and cold. The days were so long that the physical challenge soon presented a mental challenge just to keep yourself going. But it’s not like you really have a choice when the only way to the next place to sleep is down the path.”
She said she is sure their children went through some initial thoughts that their parents were crazy for taking this on, but they took it in stride.
“They tried all the new foods and took opportunities to talk to other young hikers while waiting for us old people to catch up on the trail,” Maxey said. “I think they’ll be ready to do the next trail when it comes.”
Being there as a family, she said, forced them all to find a balance between acknowledging that everyone was on their own journey, but they were also there to form deeper connections with each other.
“There were lots of opportunities for developing patience and humility,” Maxey said. “It amazed me every day that even though my legs were jelly by the time I got to the destination and was sure I couldn’t go any further, after some rest, a good meal, and maybe a card game with the family, I was OK. It turned out I really could keep going.”
The entire journey lasted eleven days, and they covered about 100 miles (around 70 miles on foot) and an elevation range of 3,300 to 8,400 feet.
Maxey is sure the adventures will continue to challenge in amazing and unexpected ways.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Maxey said, “if Mom comes up with something else soon.”
