The mountain paths are covered in deep, white ice Fluffy and generous, it does not resist our steps We plough with snow shoes, through perfect, unmarked terrain Trees shudder as the gentle wind through their open arms, flows. Snow flakes and globules fall down on the awaiting white Creating more layers of crystallised cold. The sun shines low in the winter sky – Bright blue on this amazing day; Blue tints the whiteness below, Mesmerising the troops, as we invade a silent landscape. We crack on, breathing in clear, fresh air. We are intoxicated with the beauty of it all And stunned by its mystery. Animal footprints remind us that we are not alone – Do they share our awareness of this awesome creation? Do they hide and burrow in 1000-year-old trees? Or rest in dead trees – some now aged 2000 years or more? Impervious to insects at such a height, they still stand – Even the mountain woodpecker cannot destroy them. We hear the silence and listen for their movements. Nothing. Stillness. Whiteness, only - light on light. Paw prints attract our attention – Squirrels, venison, boar, mountain birds and wild cats; They all leave their mark for the trained eye and the interested intruder. New flurries descend, covering their tracks, protecting their space. Incognito, they watch, but do not wonder. Distant mountains give scale and definition against the blues and greys of the sky. We are surrounded – valleys and snow-topped peaks Greeny-brown firs reach upwards, Offering contrast and detail as they grow, heaven bound: Splendour and spectacle, beyond belief. We slide down slopes like children, laughing and giggling. We carefully scale sharp ridges, avoiding steeps drops - Which make our hearts beat faster and our eyes, focus sharply. We amateurs feel at one with Nature’s challenges, For we are survivors and pioneers – Especially when led by an expert orienteer, who has mastered The wild and the wonderful! But we can kid ourselves for a time. Our walking poles penetrate icy depths, Testing and supporting us as we march in unison – Talking and chattering; studying and absorbing. We feel privileged, as we break new boundaries - For this is an unforgettable adventure, as we venture forth. The mountains’ magnificence shocks us all, as We frantically digitally try to capture every moment of its beauty – Technology and the natural world clash brilliantly. We climb hills and we fall down. We slip and slide; we pant and rest. We are hot; then we’re cold. We’re snow wet; but our hearts burn. The hours pass all too fast. Finally, we cross the bridge towards base and we grow silent – As silent as the mountains we’re leaving behind. A torrent of freezing water plunges over ancient rocks – not beaten by time. We know that we’re at the end of a journey we’ll never forget. Always, we’ll hear the silence of the mountains And see, in the mind’s eye, their untouched beauty in a scene now captured, Forever frozen in time.
