Swiss Alps 2006: Canton of Valais

I have no idea why I am drawn to the mountains—not from an early age, but certainly since my late twenties. I have a slight fear of heights, and maybe it was simply the challenge of overcoming that, as well as the physical challenge. Mostly, the mountains are stunningly beautiful. In the middle of summer, the weather can shift from sunshine to ice-cold sleet within fifteen minutes.

In 2006, I didn’t own a car, so I carried my tent in my backpack. When hiking, I had a huge, half-empty pack. Sometimes I had to wait out the weather in my tiny tent, feeling very bored.

I know one of the cols I scaled was the Fenêtre d'Arpette, with its view of the Trient Glacier in the Mont Blanc massif. The other hikes from that week have faded into memory.

Below: view from the Fenêtre d'Arpette of the Trient Valley, the Émosson Dam, and the peaks of the Giffre massif to the northwest.