Father-Daughter Hike
Tonio and Daphné headed to the French Alps for a father-daughter camping trip (4-5 August, 2025). The area is called Saint-Delmas-le-Selvage. They were 4 days into jet lag, but nothing like some fresh air and God’s beauty to cure that! Enjoy their adventure below.
The start of the trail.
Daphné on rock.
Daphné on rock next to stream.
Daphné by-the-stream.
The French mountains are so well-marked with signs. It truly is a hikers paradise.
Tonio sent this to me when they were in the middle of the ascent.
Tall Daphné next to a taller hill.
We love her so much!!!
Peaceful landscapes.
See Daphné over there?
I think this is a gîte that you can stay in over night.
I think this is the shepherd’s cabin.
Here is one of the shepherd’s dogs. Can you see the sheep in the background? They look like rocks, but fluffy rocks.
Daphné, the animal whisperer. I’ve heard that when a dog stretches, it means they feel relaxed. Daphné definitely invites that feeling for doggies.
Such a precious moment that Tonio caught.
These dogs are called “patou” which is a sheep dog, usually the breed Pyrenees Mountain dog. They can also be Anatolian Shepherd dogs. They are often quite big, as you can see here.
Found a spot to set up the tent.
There it is. The shadows are always so stark in the mountains. Bye bye sunshine.
So picturesque.
Daphné admiring the view.
Boo boo lip.
Up close. She is hilarious!
Time to play cards.
They don’t look related at all, do they?!!! Hahaha!!!
Good morning little lake.
Bonjour soleil!
Tonio’s shadow and the tent.
Gorgeous canyon.
These rock formations remind me of making drip castles at Zuma Beach.
Another view.
Blinded by the light.
That’s better. Love these two so much!
Ready to head down the mountain.
The refuge.
Rock piles like this are a common site on trails. They are called “cairns” and are used to mark the trails when no trees or large rocks are present to paint with the trail marker.
They saw a little froggy in this stream.
And poor girl was wearing shoes that were giving her blisters. She hiked down in sandals and rocked it. A little slip at the end but she persevered!
I’m so thankful Tonio took our girl on this hike. It was hard, and I know there were moments she wanted to stop or quit. We often encourage the kids that yes, things can be hard, but you can do hard things. Basically, praising their hard work and trying, not praising the results.
We try to raise our kids with a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. If you haven’t heard of it, I highly encourage you to look it up. We are not perfect at it, of course, but I definitely recommend watching this 9-minute video with Carol Dweck. It has helped me be a better mama.
So thankful for this time our girl had with her papa!
Love Linz