DAY 07 (15.05.2026)
- Kurtis Lesick
- May 16
- 3 min read
(Chiara)
Here, while I was walking, I felt a snow memory. There isn't any snow. I can't tell if the memory is mine or if it's the mountain's memory. I feel it in the glacial air, which contains ice particles. I feel it in my overheated body after the climb, in contrast with the cold air, so maybe the memory is all mine, because it brings me back to when I was a child. We went skiing and the feeling was the same: the body was heated by the warm clothes and the movement. Only my nose could feel the freezing air of the mountain, turning red and snotty. I also feel it on my tongue, for all the snow that I ate. This snow memory brings me comfort and I feel aligned with the mountain.
(Matt)
"If I’m being honest, my favourite moment of the day was probably watching Tom gasping for breath laughing while Chiara revealed to the car that she is part of a WhatsApp group chat called ‘Fart Nation.’ But I think one close contender was watching Cristina scramble around a rock on top of Mt. Ainos to find the right way to lay flat like a lichen—Cristina seems filled to bursting with generative good energy and it is fun to be around it. There was also a special moment pulling over and stepping out of the car to get closer to a massive herd of goats. And of course, it was moving to look northeast from the Ionian islands’ highest peak and see Ithaca through the clouds. And then have an astounding meal at Irene’s! Tough day to beat."
(Tom)
The mist ascending from the valley like
steam from a witch’s cauldron
a genie emerging from an enforced slumber
the soft, slow fart of a dragon
a poltergeist redoubling its anger
a soul leaving its mortal coil
ash from a spent volcano
smoke from a summit’s torch
Everything but mist ascending from a valley.
(Irene)
This evening my house filled with voices and laughter. With people enjoying the food that I prepared. What joy to bring joy to your mouths! How wonderful it was to have help before and after. That indeed was a very special joy for someone who mostly does things alone.
(Xstine)
Aspropato
After a day of adventure and reflection and a night of camaraderie in Irene’s apartment, I can’t choose just one so here are two of Irene’s recipes from the night.
Oven dried tomatoes
cut tomatoes in half
Parchment paper
Olive oil
Arrange them
Put them in oven. I don’t know the temp but guessing 200
Take them out when done
Put them in a jar that already had stuff from last time.
This time add olive oil, mustard seed, whole coriander seeds.
Stir it up
Shake it
Leek and almond soup
Leeks -just the whites only or it will turn brown.
Carrots
Cut them up
Salt and pepper
Chicken or vegetable stock
Boil it
for a long time
quite high
Grind almond in a food processor
Can use almond flour
Mix with hand blender for quite awhile
Taste
More salt
Add some water
Hand blender some more
Continue very slow simmer while all food is still cooking
Consume with nice wine
Aspropato-show the white bottom of the glass
(Katie)
Today was somewhat challenging for my body. Living with a chronic illness — Type 1 Diabetes — meant that the hike up Mount Ainos and the elevation caused my blood sugar to drop, and I had to bring it back up with glucose.
But while I was sitting there eating, surrounded by some of the most amazing views, I started reflecting on home, on the Rocky Mountains, and on how much Mount Ainos reminded me of them. It was the first moment in Greece where I felt completely comfortable. Even while treating my medical condition at the summit, the landscape felt familiar and grounding.
I started thinking about how interesting it is that our bodies can experience the world differently from our minds. Mentally, I had already felt comfortable here in Kefalonia, but this was the first time my body also seemed at ease in my surroundings. That felt especially significant because low blood sugar is, by itself, such a disorienting and uncomfortable experience. Somehow, despite that, I still felt calm and completely present.
