You had made that arduous trip
late in the day,
and against the odds of age;
you had climbed
as high as you could go,
carrying your own tools, your own pack,
and a certain knowledge
of where to set the ropes and pins,
so that you were always
a great asset to the rest.

Then, in the gathering darkness,
when the large tent had been
pitched on that narrow plateau
below the summit,
and the old work-watch
had finally stopped ticking,
I imagine that you,
in your quietly sublime way,
were probably tempted to say:
‘I’m just going outside for a walk.’