The Old Diocesan Issue 13 - Magazine - Page 44
THE COLUMN
“It’s sobering to think
that when you finally
reach the windswept,
snow-strewn ridge,
and gaze in wonder
and awe at the majesty
on either side, you are
barely tickling the toes
of the mountain gods.”
membership to Table Mountain
gym, we were in good hiking shape
– but nothing can really prepare
you for altitude except altitude
itself. So the last stretch, climbing
700 metres to the viewing point at
4,200m in the pitch dark at 3.30am
with temperatures below zero, was
done at whatever the diametric
opposite of breakneck speed is.
And even then, it’s sobering to
think that when you finally reach
the windswept, snow-strewn ridge,
and gaze in wonder and awe at
the majesty on either side, you
are barely tickling the toes of the
mountain gods. Still, as I watched
the sun rise, hugged by the
Himalayas, shoulder-to-shoulder
with my best mate, surrounded
by prayer flags flapping in the
wind, it felt like we were on top
of the world. The steaming cup
of black coffee we were met with
on arrival was as celebratory as
Champagne on an F1 podium.
I’d expected the walk off the
mountain to be perfunctory;
it was anything but. While the
way up was alive with anticipation
and the sensory overload of new
surroundings, on the way down
we settled into silence and
introspection. A short way into
the descent, we stopped to rid
ourselves of an outer Gore-Tex
layer under the watchful eye
of a couple of yaks.
40 | THE OLD DIOCESAN
A cairn marks the way
for truth-seekers, watched
over by the “fishtail”
of Machhapuchhre.
To the side of the path was
a small tower of stone, a mini
Machhapuchhre. Cairns are a
regular feature on these trails;
they symbolise different things
to different people. To me, they
are a reminder of the connection
between people and planet; our
gratitude to unseen forces for
gifting us the life we have; the
sense of community we feel
with others who have travelled
the same highways in search
of truth; and the endless quest
for balance on uneven terrain.
But at higher altitudes, when
the path becomes unclear, the
weather is changeable and the
environment can be as scary as
it is awe-inspiring, they can also
alleviate anxiety by reminding us
that we are on the right path, and
we are not alone. I added a little
rock to the cairn.
See more of Brandon’s superb
Himalayan photography on page 6.
