Mountain top

The mountain cabin “Panossiere” is tucked in at 2650 meters on the edge of a glacier that curls by to the south. The start of the ice flow is at the base of the Grand Combin, a mountain that towers above the surrounding peaks at 4,314 meters (14.154 feet). It is covered with snow because of the recent storms. We actually saw an avalanche tear open the side of the mountain as we were crossing a nearby pass.

Hiking is not a sadistic work-out, though certain readers of this here blog might think so. It is true that you pay 20-odd dollars to sleep on a bed shared with 12 others, (often strangers, often snorers) lined up like sardines in the tin. It is also true that the evening meal (ham, rice, soup, Chinese veggies and fruit salad) can set you back 25 dollars. And the night’s sleep (without sweet-dream medication) is interrupted by snorts from a neighbor and trips to the toilette for the small-of-bladder… But the view. Ah! The view.

My colleague from Geneva asked the Bible-study group whether it was easier to worship God in the mountains or the city. After a long hesitation someone chose to reply in a soft whisper: Why, it really doesn’t matter, does it?

And I thought to myself: That sister needs to get her rear to the mountains.