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The Hard Way
Fire and Ice (cont.)

AS IF TO CONVINCE US otherwise, the storm clamped down on Mont Blanc that night. By morning the incessant thunder of rockslides had stopped. A small drop in air temperature, a fresh coat of snow, and the mountain suddenly went silent. Cracking the troll-size door of the Eccles Hut, brilliant white light and snowflakes sprayed into the room. Back to bed.

The next morning, ditto.

The morning after that, ditto.

So much snow had fallen that going up or down would have been tricky. But we were safe in our tiny cliff dwelling, and—as the case may be—happy (John) or claustrophobic (me).

John began reading aloud the best bons mots from Barzun's Dawn to Decadence:

"Dessert without cheese is like a pretty girl with only one eye."

"We cannot be wrong, because we have studied the past and we are famous for discovering the future when it has taken place."

While the snowstorm railed, Barzun revealed to us through numerous examples how persistently and valiantly humankind has been grappling with the tough issues—equality, poverty, liberty, and justice—and how discouragingly slow we have been to devise lasting solutions.

The storm broke late on the fourth day. John and I plowed up through one to two feet of fresh, wet, surprisingly stable snow to Punta Eccles to determine the possibilities of completing the Super Directissima.

"Doesn't look that bad," I said.

"No, it really doesn't," replied John.

Somehow, we still believed things had not changed enough to warrant a change of plans.


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