Year of publication 1960 - Fell and Rock Climbing Club

Dorothy Pilley Richards 23broken. In order not to have to come back to this awkwardlyplaced hut, we took everything with us in our sacks as wepicked our way by moonlight, always in our own shadows,up the ledges of the ridge. This was before 4 a.m.; it wasSeptember and dawn took her time. We left our sack-loadswhere we crossed what Imseng told us would be a swift andrestful way home: down pleasant snow streaks in the earlyseason we gathered: 'Swish! Ah la-la!' But, up to the col andthe nice rocks of the summit mass, there was no snow, only iceand poorly embedded debris. Nuisance all the way.However, the summit rocks were solid, their great flangespoked up boldly between vast dark clouds that occasionallythrew hail at us but opened grandly to show us now the Ofenhorn,now the Ebnefluh and Mittaghorn. The day wore on.Back again at the sacks it turned out that a hot year hadremoved the much anticipated snow. No 'Swish! Ah la-la!'about it at all! Only the most exasperatingly tiresome rubble.Below that, expert local knowledge is quite necessary if youare to get down onto the glacier. People without it just don'tget down; there are too many big overhangs. We had thelocal knowledge; it led us on little sheep tracks from one shelfto another. At the glacier edge, too, the way is not easy to findor to follow. Dawn had taken its time but dusk seemed in ahurry. It came at a gallop. The flashlight had been a bit toouseful too early. We were relieved to be off the moraine andon the real path just as black night shut down—but there isa lot of that path between where we were and Bel Alp. Wequenched our thirst at a stream, sat down to enjoy theevening Alps and rest.As fresh energy welled up, what could that gleam beacross the vague Aletsch trough, somewhere in the RiederAlp direction? After getting so suddenly dark, very darkindeed, how could it be getting lighter again—so soon?A cloud shifted, and there it was; we saw our rescuer. Itwas the lovely Moon! Having lit us up the ridge, it was backto light us home. We felt triumphant when we succeeded inknocking up the patron. Cognac, cake and bed—fatiguesforgotten and the over-all renewal of the morning. A: B:: C: Dwe thought again, remembering long-past alpine days.Many Happy Returns.