Volcano

We left at five thirty-five in the afternoon. Much later than we should have. I spent the travel time eating greasy chicken strips and floppy french fries, from the horrible dairy queen along the way. Arrival time was about six forty-five.

We embarked along on a breakneck trek. We were fighting the sunlight, fighting the mountain. We were determined to make camp unencumbered by the failing light.



We burned the trail, but it was all in vain. The sun went down along the railroad grade.

This isn't an actual railway. This is a knife's edge walkway, curving along the crest of an immense glacial valley. A ninety degree drop on one side, seventy five on the other. The only similarity between this twisted spine of earth and an actual railway is the slope of the path we are walking on. Somewhere between ten and fifteen degrees happening to be the greatest incline a train can safely travel.

In the gelid darkness we clawed our way along. Inch by inch step by step. The vertigo inducing height constantly tempting our weary limbs to give way and fall into the void. The wind whipped our backs and blew sand into our waiting eyes.

Our fingers grew numb while we rested under the shadow of a stone outcropping. A lone sentinel guarding our approach. I thought we had another ten minutes, my compadre had never been there before. Either way we had no choice but to continue into the relentless wind. To turn back would have been failure unthinkable.

We reached our campsite around eight thirty. It was a snowfield. It stood splendidly illuminated under the stars, starkly contrasted by fel-field surrounding.

The tent went up and we collapsed into eerie, interrupted sleep.




Written originally on 09/11/2007