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Seven travelers make their way from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland along the famed Haute Route.

Accompanying photos available

Published in January 2004 edition of Off Piste Magazine

So it came to pass

that the fates of seven men became

intertwined in a grand adventure.

Men of clear mind and noble heart

are often compelled by the chase,

thrust into a widening circle

of hearty pursuits and fleeting glory.

Such as it was with this band of seven.

Men as these – independent in thought and deed -

needed not a leader, as the way of one

is the way of all.

The notion of an honorable voyage

through the High Road of lower Gaul

came to Thighstrong and No Beard

in a matched dream.

Thighstrong was a great and modest warrior,

strong in word and deed,

a veteran of many battles,

and a holder of many victories.

No Beard, by contrast, was of more modest stature,

but his desire ran deep.

On this and many other journeys the two had formed a matched pair.

As it ever was, there would be no rich treasure

awaiting the pair at the end of this journey,

but earthly spoils did not motivate men as these.

With hearts resolute Thighstrong and No Beard

undertook the recruitment of trusted companions.

Deeds of note and worth require

men of unswerving conviction.

Men true and strong are seldom known,

but to only those of this rare conviction

do the high hills reveal their secrets.

Eric the Elder, a possessor of a

fierce and independent spirit,

a man accustomed to victory, and intolerant of failure

readily accepted the challenge.

A second explorer equally quick to answer the call was Halkean.

A Briton among Romans,

Halkean was a skilled and quick warrior,

a modest man of few needs.

As it is with all quests of note,

news of Thighstrong and No Beard’s plan

was shouted in feasting halls and

whispered behind the flames of campfires

from Carthage to the Land of the Laps.

Many warriors wished to join the chase

one succeeded – the Roman Aldocatt.

A man of many tongues

Aldocatt rivaled Thighstrong in

strength, and his skill in battle stood unmatched.

The solders snubbed their home fires,

and assembled in the Gaul town of Chamonix,

where they feasted and took on supplies.

But adventurers crave adventure,

and soon the five pined for the road.

Through high mountain passes and

over frozen glaciers the men traveled.

Though burnt by the sun and

laden with stores and armaments,

the men did not relent in their pace,

until they reached the safety of a mountain fortress.

Here the five became seven.

Ikeafred and Straightdown were Geats,

full of the strength and courage of youth.

Ikeafred was weathering a terrible affliction

of which none know cause.

Straightdown cooked broth and kept vigil.

The North had installed within Ikeafred

a hearty constitution,

and his strength quickly returned.

Men of similar motive

are often joined by the venture,

and these hearty youths

formed an unspoken alliance with the five.

The following morning the travelers

descended into a mountain village.

They were greeted warmly by a noble elder,

Who provided wise council

on the ways of the local people

and the temperament of her native hills

Throughout the day and into the night

storms raked the mountains above.

The blizzard passed leaving behind

young snow which held tenuously

to the high slopes and mountain passes.

Death was near any man foolhardy enough to venture forth.

Thighstrong and No Beard warned three travelers

of the uncompromising danger,

but the trio rebuked this council.

Within the hour each drew a final breath.

The guild, now seven,

knew the vice of impatience.

and thus they allowed the mountains time to find peace.

In a days time they traveled overland to a remote village

where they continued their pursuit.

The seven were returned to the mountains

and a great joy was felt by all.

The gods were kind and travel was light.

The men arrived at a mountain fortress at midday

and spent the remaining daylight at play.

Men accustomed to hardship

can become as schoolchildren

when under a cerulean sky.

The following day the seven

moved camp to a third mountain fortress.

During the march Thighstrong

clashed inadvertently with another party.

The risk of a great conflict loomed close,

but Thighstrong was a diplomat as well as a solder.

He recognized that on this day

it was better to parley than to fight.

The evening was spent among happier company.

Voyagers from around the known world

were gathered at the feasting table

and the stories continued until

the final candle was spent.

As with many ventures,

where camaraderie and challenge ennoble the heart of man,

this endeavor moved too quickly towards a close.

On the final day, the seven broke camp before viewing the sun.

Leaving the fortress by torchlight

the men faced an unseen nemesis.

A pernicious wind had battered the stone walls throughout the night,

but undaunted the men forced open the castle gates

to face the enemy.

The seven fought as one,

and not a single man had fallen in battle

when the tempest fled with the rising of the morning sun.

Sadly, the tumultuous wind

was not the only enemy of the day.

This second foe was much more sinister,

as its aim is the destruction of men’s souls.

A nefarious spirit had cursed the snow

rendering weapons forged by human hand useless.

The reward due from hours of uphill toil was stolen,

and cries of despair could be heard deep into the valleys.

Thighstrong, Ikeafred, Straightdown, Halkean and Aldocat

conjured a dark spell providing them with levitation,

but No Beard and Eric the Elder, who remained pure of heart and free of heel,

suffered greatly.

Disappointment ensued.

The men had wished an audience with a noble mountain,

but, as it is with many desires, this dream remained unfulfilled.

A low sky blocked all aspects of the famed massif

and the seven descended into their destination disheartened.

The men returned home by caravan,

where they enjoyed many drinks of ale,

and talk of new adventures lasted long into the night.