Coming together through hiking
5 mins of walking
A day's hiking with Club Arpernaz
Our guide, Salvatore Gusciglio AKA “Salva”, takes our group of about fifteen hikers across the beautiful fields and woodlands of the Ardennes.
Getting to know one another
At the crack of dawn, my partner and I drive to the village of Amberloup. The participants in this healthful twenty-kilometre hike are due to meet Salva at the church car park.
We're among the first to arrive which gives us the chance to get to know our guide. Salvatore is a former war reporter who now makes his living out of a combination of two passions: exercise and photography.
Gradually, the other participants arrive. Most of them appear to know each other already which makes us the official newcomers! We shyly introduce ourselves and are greeted warmly. The casual atmosphere puts us at ease and we instantly feel welcome.
Across the Ardennes countryside
After a quick briefing on the itinerary, we take the road out of Amberloup. Very quickly, the gap widens between the leading hikers - Salva and the other fast walkers - and, bringing up the rear, those who like to take their time and photograph the landscape.
The hikers at the front stop regularly to let the others catch up, in such a natural way that nobody feels left out or left behind. Automatically, all of us, from the front to the rear of the pack, keep changing places to ensure we get to speak to every member of the group.
Salvatore Gusciglio (right) is chairman and one of the two guides of Club Arpernaz. As a hiking guide and first-aider, he accompanies seasoned hikers as well as novices all over Belgium (and abroad), at the rate of two excursions per month.
This is a new experience for me and my mind is more occupied with the pleasure of talking and getting to know the others than on the effort, the speed or the need to surpass myself. Everyone else says the same thing and Salva makes a point of the fact that, for Club Arpernaz, the emphasis is on togetherness.
This is more than just group exercise, it's a calm and healthy environment in which to make friends. Most of the participants do this regularly and thoroughly enjoy sharing such great experiences with their fellow hikers. Laughter and excited conversation can be heard from every part of the group.
To me, walking is a solitary activity. I'm rarely accompanied. But I feel good with Salva and his group: there are good vibes everywhere.
Bringing up the rear
Our favourite position is at the back of the pack. Not because we want to be alone but, above all, so that we can meet everybody, one by one, and strike up closer conversations. My partner doesn't speak French but that didn't stop him joining in with the discussions: they kindly left me time to translate everything that was said.
Also, for people like us who take lots of photos, it's best to be at the back, where I get to know Claudine, another enthusiast who, like me, loves capturing the cows in the fields and the sun's rays filtering through the trees.
Hiking offers us the privilege of enjoying every detail, every smell, every colour and, in this case, every personality of this group brought together in its favourite setting: the simplicity of the great outdoors.
The Ardennes forest: autumn in all its splendour
Walking through woods is what I like best. The woods hide many a mystery: invisible creatures, a host of insects, different leaves, impressive ant-hills, the fragrance of moss and lots of fungi, like colourful toys carefully displayed by expert hands.
In Ardennes, the footpaths are particularly quiet and you feel as if you're alone in the world, away from all the noise and pollution, wrapped in a bubble of wellbeing. Our legs hardly notice the physical effort because we have the pleasant distraction of everything that's going on around us and between us.
In turn, everyone tells me about his/her part of the Ardennes or elsewhere in Belgium. Some have come all the way from Brussels, not hesitating to make the early-morning 2-hour drive to meet up with the group. Thanks to them, I learn a lot about unknown towns and villages, local habits and customs, other forests and new horizons. This broadens and embellishes my image of this region where nature surpasses herself and where everyone is made to feel welcome.
Going home, after ten days in the Ardennes
It's time for us to go back to Berlin, after losing ourselves here for ten days or so, but we already know we'll never forget our stay. And it's not because of the countryside, as splendid as it is. No, it's the locals, the artisans, the guides, the passionate people and happy hikers who will occupy pride of place in our memories. This day in the Ardennes will definitely not be our last.
Try this experience
Arpernaz - Salvatore GUSCIGLIO
Rue du Chapy 29A
5570 Wancennes, Belgium
Tél: +32(0)477 95 03 32
Hiking enthusiasts can also enjoy good company. With Club Arpernaz, we discover a more sociable way of hiking.