Into the Void

The world is disappearing. With every breath the world becomes whiter. A greyish white, brought in on the wings of the wind. With it comes a chilly air. The sun has become invisible. I put on my wind-coat and wind-trousers, grateful I brought them with me. With my clothes keeping me warm, I set off again, into the void.

It is not the main path I'm on, although still a very easy to walk path. The higher I come, the thicker the fog comes in. The wind has gone now and a deep stillness has spread around me. In this deep silence I listen. If sounds have faded, what can one hear? I notice a calm stream of water further up and from the direction of the sound I guess that it will cross my path soon. Beyond the water, there is silence. No rustling leaves, no sounds from far away. Even the animals are quiet.

I continue my way to the top. The closer I get, the more the wind is picking up. Sugar Loaf this mountain is called although in this fog there is no relation to discover with a loaf of sugar. The top suddenly dooms up in front of me. It rises straight up from the mountain high in the air. I find a winding path up and am careful to stay on the wind-side. It has become so strong now that it could blow one off balance and I don't fancy toppling down. Finding my way through the rocks, using them as climbing steps every now and then … and then I'm up on the top. Wow! This is amazing! The whole world has gone. Only the rocks in front of my feet are still visible. Everything else has disappeared. Into the void.

I take a moment to enjoy the Big Nothingness and let my imagination go free. I think I know what's beyond what I can see, but do I really know? Is there a mountain and a valley and my car somewhere below? Or is a whole other world hiding in the fog? What if I step forward … will I step through a portal into another world? Or will the fog part for me and show me what I expect to see? What is reality anyway? We always talk about reality and about what is real and what is not. Little do we know, don't you think?

I do it. I take those few steps … and meet three other hikers! We share a good laugh about the great views and one offers to take a photo of me, so thoughtful and kind! We part and I follow the path … it goes straight ahead in the above image (yes really! into ... you fill it in).