Misty Mountain New Year's

Dear Readers. I'm not sure how many of you are fans of The Lord of the Rings, and even those of you who are fans may not remember the opening scene of 'The Two Towers' movie. But the breathtaking, snowcapped Misty Mountains of Moria, ablaze and glorious in the golden light of the sun, are impossible for me to forget, even if they were hardly the main point of the scene. Luckily for me, I got to spend my New Year's among those mountains!

Well, not exactly. Those mountains happen to be in New Zealand, not in the Dolomites, which is where I spent five days skiing and enjoying the beauty, constantly reminded of what I now call 'The Lord of the Rings Mountains'. I was in the small town of Tarvisio, right in the northern nook of Italy, separated from both Austria and Slovenia only by the Dolomite mountains--in fact, I received the customary three text messages from Vodafone welcoming me to Slovenia when I reached the top of the ski mountain! And let me tell you, the top of the mountain is COMPLETELY worth the mind-numbing fear of making my slow, winding way back down the mountain.

After having not skied for at least five years, I made the very sane decision to go to the absolute peak of the mountain, despite the signs on the ski-lift labeling it an 'expert slope.' What convinced me was the sight, from the bottom of the mountain and masked in its shadow, of the ski-lift tracing the summit in an orange glow from the sun. Even from the bottom of the ski hill, one look to my left showed me jagged, towering mountains more beautiful than the hill itself, and I knew that getting to the very top would be worth any broken bones I might acquire along the way. My parents would probably agree that it wasn't the smartest decision I could have made, but the blue skies and the promise of a beautiful view were too tempting.

The peak of that mountain is one of the most perfectly beautiful places I have ever been. It's amazing that when you're in the presence of such earth-shatteringly natural beauty, you don't really care what you look like. I probably resembled some sort of Middle-Earth gremlin going down the flat slope at the top: my mismatched-and-borrowed ski gear, the wind whipping tears from my eyes and promptly freezing them on my cheeks, my arms flung out for balance, my teeth chattering, my eyes squinting, my back hunched, and my head turned completely to the side, my eyes never leaving the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen, conveniently located directly to my right. I literally felt as if I had been dropped into the scene of some epic National Geographic photo shoot. Coasting right long the line of the peak like I was some mountain god, I tiptoed on the tightrope of the summit, one quick peek to the left revealing the misty valleys and hills of Italy, a glance to the right showing me the blinding, glittering white of peak after peak after peak, and the bluest sky I've ever seen, and the icily majestic evergreens, with everything made even more colorfully glorious by the sun's fierce gaze.

The rest of my time in Tarvisio was also wonderful: taking hours to cook pasta and watch Harry Potter and High School Musical with my best friend in our apartment; New Year's Eve, filled with so many fireworks that I honestly got a bit nervous that one of them would accidentally hit a mountain and trigger an avalanche, just like in Mulan; an afternoon of fluffy snowfall and thick hot chocolate; a visit to a sled-dog school, complete with three-week old Husky puppies; exhilaratingly (read: terrifyingly) icy skiing; and a marvelous 19th birthday. But seeing those mountains was more than special.

Here's to a great 2011, even though I may be a week and a half late. And just because everyone needs a little Lord of the Rings every once in a while, here's the opening scene for those who want to watch it :] Love from Italy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBIXENH-70I