We based ourselves at Hotel Saltus in South Tyrol, a haven of calm and serenity where our rooms felt fully immersed in the trees and had forest views. The spa was stellar, decked out with beautiful relaxation spaces and a yoga deck, but my personal highlight was the sauna infusion – a ritual whereby essential oils are wafted around the sauna and one that makes me feel calm. This was where I always made a beeline for post-hike.
There are hiking trails that run straight from the Saltus doors for those who want to embrace the surroundings without having to drive anywhere, but we opted for longer, more classic routes, all of which started at points an easy taxi journey away. We walked the loop around the blue-green hues of Lago di Carezza and hiked the Adolf Munkel Trail, stopping for a long lunch at Geisler Alm where kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancake pieces in icing sugar) fuelled us for the afternoon trek.
This was the first time I had ever properly kitted myself out for a full day on a trail, so I started my search for ‘what to wear on a hiking trip’. I knew I wanted to lean into the gorpcore trend while staying true to my own personal style. As boring as it sounds, I love when a trend rooted in aesthetics also happens to be practical and comfortable. This ticked all my boxes.
I knew that finding the right footwear would be crucial and hiking shoes are having their moment in fashion’s spotlight, so despite being the most practical item in my rotation, I loved shopping for these. I skipped ubiquitous Salomon walking boots for a pair of Keens, which came with two sets of laces, so I swapped them each day to create slightly different looks. This is the kind of shoe that I’ll also wear at home in London, just styled slightly differently. I also love Adidas, The North Face, Patagonia and Arc’teryx, and Free People has a genuinely fabulous hiking range. Outsiders Store creates a very cool, unique edit – I could spend a lot of money here.
