Maybe in next life

I spent some time traveling during 2012 and 2013, mostly in Europe. That time I just watched the movie Die Nordwand. The scene that Toni Kurz said “Ich kann nicht mehr (I cannot do it anymore)” and died right in front of the rescue team, after long struggling of the whole night, influenced me so deeply. I guess that was the beginning of my obsession with mountains. The Alps certainly means a lot to me.

I went to Zermatt to visit Matterhorn. Despite several possibilities, Gonergrath Train is my favorite. It provides the perfect confrontation to Matterhorn, not too close or too far, surrounded by snow mountains in all characteristics.

When I was just sitting there to enjoy the unspeakable moment to myself, a guy suddenly started talking to me. “She is beautiful”, that was the start of our conversation. As the chatting went on, he told me that he was a mountaineer. During his youth, he spent a long time in Tibet, exploring the Himalaya.

I asked whether he has peaked Matterhorn. As a Swiss, it seamed the first thing to do as an alpinist. He smiled, “Maybe in next life”. The conversation happened in 2012 when he was in his fifties. 😄 That would probably a bit old for adventuring.

For most of us, those prestigious mountains are only to be worshiped. Not in this life, not in the next life, would we ever dream to step on those peaks? Yet that does not stop us from getting inspired.