Walking in Northern France, the Dolomites, and French Alps

Bonjour from Belgium,

I spent a week back in Italy this summer, in the corner of the Dolomites I keep returning to, and came home with four new guides. If you're planning a trip there, start with these.

The Ütia de Börz review covers the hardest reservation I've ever managed to get, and what the place was actually like once I did. The Rifugio Lagazuoi overnight guide is the mountain hut stay I still recommend above all the others, WWI tunnels and all.

For hiking, there's the full Sass de Putia circuit, and if you want hut food without the hard day, the easy route at Passo delle Erbe to Maurerberghütte and Ütia de Pecol.

JUNE/JULY HAPPENINGS:

We're three months into the new duty station now, and I'd love to report that I've been adjusting to Belgium properly. Waffles. Fries. Beer. That is not what happened...instead it's been different.

Learning how to balance starting a business from the ground up and getting established in the world of Group Trips is tougher than I thought. After having to cancel my Jordan group trip in April, I felt like giving up. But I didn't and that's the point...

Turns out building a business is tough but building it overseas is a doozy!

I would love to know where you want to go on a group trip in 2027-2028.

​Checkout this survey here​

anyways.....

We ended up hiking the Côte d'Opale, one of my favorite gentle long distance walks that I have done. Let me just say, it was a beautiful 4 day walk on the GR120 and I highly recommend it....

Then a weekend in London for my husbands birthday, where we stayed at a pub, watched King Henry joust at Hampton Court Palace (yes, it was fun and the palace is beautiful), and bought more books than I care to admit.

Then I left for Italy. Rented a car (shoutout to booking.com for having some of the cheapest rates!) and made my way to the Dolomites to hide out.

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UPCOMING TRIPS AND TREKS:

​Bookatrekking named me one of their summer ambassadors, so I'm heading to Vanoise National Park in France for my next hut to hut.

Next week my full prep goes live on socials: what's in my pack, how I trained, and what self-guided actually means when there's nobody walking beside you.

All in an effort to make you feel more confident on the trails solo!

Follow me on Instagram

PSSST I would love to know what you're planning next, reply to this email and lets chat!

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WHAT I AM LOVING THIS SUMMER:

Some of these links are affiliate links. There is no extra cost to you, and it helps keep this newsletter free and you're supporting a female writer and entrepreneur! Thank you.

➔ Goodr sunglasses. These have become my go-to when I am hiking: no slip, no worries, and the price point is literally on point! Mine are Unicorns Calamity (I love the name)

➔ Holafly for an e-sim. I have stopped hunting for wifi in mountain towns, which is worth more than the plan costs.

➔ World Nomads for insurance. I hike alone. This is not optional, and I will not pretend otherwise. I don't want to pay for a crazy mountain rescue out of pocket!

➔ Mountainsmith Trekking poles which have saved my knees on more descents than I want to count.

➔ Liquid I.V Hydration Multiplier. Europe has decided that summer now means heat that borders on hostile, and I spent this one sweating my way along the Côte d'Opale, the Via Francigena, and half the Dolomites. Hydration packets like these are the reason I arrived at each night's bed merely tired rather than genuinely unwell.

Not a glamorous purchase. Possibly the most useful one.

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Now, about those northern lights

You've constantly seen my emails, but I wanted to lean into why my group trip is perfect for aurora watchers...

January gives you 4 to 5 hours of daylight in Iceland. Sunrise near 11:00 AM, sunset around 3:30 PM. That leaves up to 20 hours of darkness working in your favor. By late February, you are at 7 to 10 hours of daylight, which is better for sightseeing and shorter for aurora hunting.

My women's trip runs January 26 to February 1, 2027, right on that line. Long nights to give the aurora real chances, enough daylight to actually see the waterfalls and black sand beaches.

Three nights are built around the lights.

Temperatures sit between -3°C and 3°C (26°F to 34°F), milder than most people picture, though the weather is genuinely unpredictable, and we build in flexibility rather than pretending anyone can schedule the sky.

I will not promise you the aurora. Nobody honest will. What I can promise is dark skies, a small group of women who all want the same thing, and Krauma and the Blue Lagoon for the nights the clouds win.

​[See the full itinerary and grab your spot →]​

Early bird is $3,928 for 7 days. Last payment date: October 28, 2026.

See you out there,
Kimberly