Day 4: Serenity

4:00am. I awake from a deep sleep, having finally recovered from my laughing episode at bedtime and nodded off. The plan is to start out early to complete a high-level part of the trek. However, Paul deems it too dangerous to depart as lightning is still rolling around the mountains. I'm not really sure lightning rolls as such, but I can't really think of a better way to describe it. The others fall back asleep, but I get out of bed and go outside to watch. There's something incredibly mysterious, dare I say spiritual even, about being high up in the mountains, miles away from civilisation in the middle of of nowhere, watching this spectacular light show illuminating the incredible peaks all around you. You might think it was exciting or even scary, but actually it was very peaceful. I don't know why, it just was. I tried to take a photo but with the limited capabilities of my point and shoot camera it just came out black; Ross suggested I call it "essence of night."

I returned to bed and went back to sleep, arising several hours later for the usual breakfast of bread and jam. We head out into the brisk morning air, with heavy clouds still lying low in the sky. Paul decides we should head straight across the glacier to our next hut, leaving out the high level ridge due to the danger of bad weather, poor visibility, and the fact that we'd have no view up there anyway. 

Setting out at sunrise, heavy storm clouds linger in the air

Storm clouds swirl around the mountain tops

So we set off back out into the snow and onto the glacier. The trek itself was relatively long and uneventful, until we reached the Concordia Platz about half way down - a series of impressive Glacial ridges. 

Back onto the snow

Working our way up the Glacier

The sun paints beautiful patterns as it shines through gaps in the clouds

Climbing over this was challenging - many of the crevasses were three feet across. This probably doesn't sound like a long distance to jump over, and on normal ground it isn't. However, when the snow either side of the crevasse is loose, you have a very big heavy bag on your back, big clunky boots and crampons on, and can't get a run up due to the soft and slippery snow - trust me three feet is a lot! 

Approaching the Concordia Platz

Jumping over the crevasses

Some of the crevasses were huge! You can see the unstable snow at the edge of them in this picture. 

It was on a jump over one such crevasse that I almost went in; I landed the jump fine, but one leg landed on solid ice, and the other landed on soft snow which fell away as my leg came down on it. I'd gained enough momentum to propel myself forward and away from the danger, but I'd been very close to going down! These aren't ditches, these are deep, black bottomless pits! 

The Concordia Hut is located about halfway up the mountain in front of us, perched on the ledge you can see. 

Deep black hole

Finally we got to the safety of the rocks across the glacier, but the journey wasn't over yet! Do you remember how I'd said that you never just arrive at the hut, there's always a final little challenge? Well the final challenge for tonights hut, the Concordia hut, was a ginormous ridiculously high metal staircase bolted onto the side of the cliff. Basically the hut had been built at the base of the glacier, but as the glacier had shrunk, they've had to built this staircase down to reach the bottom. The sight of the staircase was daunting - picture a fire escape bolted onto a mountain. 

The iron stairway snaking it's way up the cliff

I shoved in as many Lucozade energy tablets as I could fit into my mouth, then together with Ross lead the way up the staircase. I don't have a great head for heights, but by just looking up it was fine. I was very glad we were in Switzerland meaning the staircase was probably constructed to a very high standard. 

Me climbing up the staircase

Finally we made it to the top of the cliff and into the warmth of the hut, where I was greeted by a big excitable black labrador. I promptly lay down in the dining area and fell asleep, joined by a friendly and very cute kitten that had attached itself to me.

This hut was big, and filled with people. My nearest analogy to it would be a Scout hut, for anyone who has ever been a Scout. I imagine Girl Guide or Brownie huts aren't too dissimilar, although I've never been in one so can't say for sure. 

Finally made it to the hut! The Concordia Platz and the glacier we have just walked down behind me. 

The glacier snaking down the mountain behind me 

The Concordia Hut

Panorama of the Aletsch Glacier

Me and my kitten

That evening, we sat outside in what must be one of the worlds' most exclusive, high altitude beer gardens, enjoying a refreshing pint and watching the magnificent sunset over the mountains and glacier. This was probably one of the most enjoyable and satisfying experiences I've ever had in my life. Imagine sitting in your favourite pub garden with four of your best friends, on a hot sunny day, drinking a cold, refreshing pint of quality lager, watching the sun set over the most incredible scenery you've ever seen. Add to that the fact that no one can physically be in this garden unless they've climbed and trekked for miles then climbed up a long and arduous staircase to get here; you had to earn your place in this beer garden.

Me after a change of clothing and a "wet wipe shower".

Ross, Nic and Jason chilling out in the world's most exclusive beer garden

Watching the sun set over the mountains was the most beautiful show on earth

It wasn't just satisfying though, it was mentally uplifting. Sitting there up in the mountains seeing nature in her finest, I felt everything that had been bothering me in life slip away with the fading light; any qualms about old acquaintances, anxieties about the future or worries about what I should be doing with life left me, and I felt totally at peace. I'm not sure where life is taking me, but I knew right there and then, that was exactly where I was supposed to be. It was the best feeling :-)

There was no where else in the world I'd rather have been than here.