TBT: Hiking in France

When I studied abroad in France, I was lucky enough to have hiked to the Château de Montségur, an ancient Cathar castle standing 3,900 feet above the French countryside. At the time, I had been battling a stomach bug and wasn't in the best condition to make such a trek. The hike itself was not excessively long, but the rate of incline was taking its toll on me. However, when I got to the castle, I felt such a huge sense of accomplishment for making it to the top!

Of course, the views weren't too bad either.

 This is why I love hiking so much (especially up mountains)– it's such an amazing feeling when you finally reach that summit after a grueling hike. Of course, Sir Edmund Hillary (the first man to make it to the top of Mount Everest) said it better than I ever could:

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."