It all began at the base of that hill. There I stood, unabashed by the ever-tensening knot in the bottom of my stomach. The epitome of all of my fears stared me down as i stood in the shadow of that majestic, towering, powerful mountain. The immense winter wind shook me to my core. In the Alps, there was no freedom from shivering. Not even an hour after leaving my little tent at the base camp, my feet were frozen. The three layers of socks seemed to make no impact. I was cold. My pack weighed down my shoulders as I gripped the two ice picks, one in each hand, and dug my boots into the base of that frozen monster. The mountain stood high, and she stood beautiful. It’s peak was a calling and its side a deterrent. It was as if life had metaphorized
