286,000 meters of elevation, 2,200 kilometers, nearly 900 hours spent walking – this is the summary of Thomas Kunz's five-month east-west crossing of the Alps, which took him from the capital of Austria to the French Southern Alps. But these were not just mere numbers: His arduous journey, often marked by boundary experiences, led him through both desolate areas and heavily touristed resort towns. He frequently encountered quirky yet warm-hearted and helpful people. And even in places where he least expected it, the Alps revealed themselves as a cultural landscape shaped by centuries of human activity.