A Moment of Internet ⛰️

I'm living in the mountains in a cabin situated just so that one can call it Germany. Of course, since it actually is very much in Germany, also if it's a mere 10 minutes on foot to the Austrian border, everything about this place can be very much considered German. Most of the visitors are German, all of my co-workers are German, the cabin belongs to the German Alpenverein, visitors speak all kinds of German dialects and yet: I can see home from up here. My Austrian German seems powerless in this place, although the Bavarian often comes quite close.

Up here, on 1400 meters above sea level, cell phone coverage is fading—usually, I have one bar tops. But I don't even feel tempted to go online as my Digital Declutter is on and I'm still going strong. There were rumours about a Starlink connection but I wasn't eager to get connected yet. Eventually, I did find out that WiFi password but thanks to the workload on a busy Sunday in a mountain cabin and the novelty of working as a dishwasher in a large kitchen, for a moment there, I completely forgot that phones even existed.

Then, one afternoon before my evening work shift, I went to the tiny lake nearby—because I never let the opportunity for a dip pass. I was told that the lake's temperature wouldn't be below 10 °C but definitely not above 20 °C either. When I took the temperature I simply thought, "not too bad". I prepared my body for the cold by splashing water on me, as I've read one should do. Slowly, I entered, still convinced that it shouldn't be "too bad". As I was fully immersed in the water, it immediately felt like a sting of a thousand needles. The water was so fucking cold, that I was screaming on the inside. I repeatedly swore aloud as if that would help me cope with the cold. I thought of a possible remedy, as I pictured to leave the lake again: A quick sauna right after, a soft and cozy hoodie or a warm embrace from a loving human being.

I swam for what felt like 10 minutes, but it actually must have been a mere minute before I had enough. As I was exiting, I thought, "well, actually, it wasn't too bad"; for a moment I most definitely considered going for a second round, but of course that never happened. Then, as I was drying myself, I realised how stupid I've been. I've actually worn my swimming trunks when I should have skinny dipped; this was the perfect opportunity for it: I was at this tiny lake, somewhere in the mountains, surrounded only by kettle, which had more important business to attend to (namely feeding off grass) than watching a human take a bath with his birthday suit on.

As you can see, there's much to do here in the mountains and I haven't even begun to talk about the epic hikes I've done here: my favourite one being down to the Austrian side to a little town called "Walchsee" and back up to the cabin via Kohlenriedalm. From the alp, I had this amazing view of the Burgeralm, behind it the Zillertal in Tyrol, next to the valley the Kaisergebirge and below it the eponymous lake of Walchsee. Oh yeah, and of course the mountain range of Hohe Tauern all the way in the distance to my left, where Austria's tallest mountains live.

Offline is the new default, using the internet an exception. I realise I don't need to be interconnected around the clock. There's so much happening away from screens. I don't need an app that claims to help me be more mindful. Offline life is where mindfulness comes to one all by itself. All that's left for me to do now is take this realisation with me down to the valley—and find some things in my life that keep me busy, away from screens.