Mountaineering. I place each foot, each hand with great precision, aware of every movement of my body, the shift of my weight, the texture of the rock beneath my fingers, the rhythm of my breath, and the beating of my heart, which quickens with the effort and the apprehension of a hold that’s too high or a challenging section.
At the belay station, I pause, balancing precariously at times, and look up. In a single glance, I shift from the details to the immensity. I am insignificant in this rugged high-mountain landscape. Yet I am here. My slow, repeated effort—guided by the tension of the rope and my intuition—carries me through this landscape.
The high, rugged walls and the shimmering blue ice are no longer obstacles but puzzles to solve, routes to take, worlds to explore.
July 2020, Crossing the Arête des Cinéastes, Ecrins National Park, France.