.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
07-06-2016, 10:03 AM
After my gut wrenching hike up into the Basin, it was a small wonder that I found the stomach to travel so soon after vowing to never crawl along a crevice again. Though comparing this trek to my journey north is inaccurate, the path on this mountain IS as tedious as stomping on thin ice – BUT the ground here isn’t damp and thus not as slippery. Runoffs and/or mudslides obviously weren’t common here. In addition, the road appears to be well traveled over the years -- the path is crafted from firm minerals which (over time) have hardened to the point of near security. Still, a firmer slab to place my foot isn’t a cure all. My throat still lurches with every loose pebble that narrowly slips from beneath a misplaced hoof, and every fiber of me balks at the sight of that impossible depth beyond this narrow jag. Carefully, I hug the wall and follow the width of this mountain, spiraling up and up…. straight into the clouds.
My resolve to continue is only strengthened by the fear of turning around on such a narrow ravine. Why in the world did I come up here in the first place? The locals mentioned a field of insurmountable beauty on top of this mountain, so beautiful it was obviously worth the risk of falling and smashing oneself into an unrecognizable blood splat on some lonely boulder. It’s an easy hike, they said. It will do you good to stretch your legs, they said. The teeth in the back of my mouth act as a grinder when I recall the conversation which sparked my interest to ascend.
To distract myself from the idea of sliding off the edge, I fantasize about the end result. My imagination creates: a crisp field, covered in a living rainbow of flowers that are bent by a mellow breeze and insects with wings that shine like little suns. I envision my body folding gratefully into the softest blanket of green ever grown; the tingling pressure of stiff blades pressing into my legs and stomach. The hot sun, glaring bright between a cluster of clouds – comforting me with warmth and sweet promises. A paradise ruled by no one… Reality returns – bringing wind, cold and thin to beat against me. Up ahead I catch sight of another traveler, a faint outline bobbling along through the mist.
