I deeply, passionately love the mountains. Dunno why that is - apparently my neurons are wired just that way. But Nature played a trick on me. I'm not completely free of vertigo. So while I cannot resist the call of the mountains, chains and via ferrata do scare me - every time again I have to conquer my inner self before I can conquer the iron ladder with the steps driven in bare rock. And I'm definitely never gonna end up halfway a perpendicular stone wall the way some of the guys in the following video do:
Until six years ago, I dreamed of one day making it to the top of the Matterhorn. I came as far as the Hoernlihuette, at 3,320m, looked up at that great conical mass that's the real thing, and knew I would NEVER make it to THAT top. I know my limits and am content with that; my mind is at ease. And there's still so many lesser summits to scale which are within my reach. For next year I have set my sights on Switzerland's Weissmies (4,017m). I climbed Allalinhorn (4,025m) in the same canton - Wallis - with no problems whatsoever (using the services of a guide to be sure). And I'm told that if you can do Allalinhorn Weissmies won't be a problem either. Both mountains are perfect for beginners and would be alpinists like your servant. Another vid with somewhat less glamour gives you an idea of a Weissmies ascent:
We will see! John Muir I know how you felt but for the moment I gotta concentrate on filling both the summer gaps in my finances AND the coffers of the Belgian State!
Nite,
MFBB.
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