The view from up here is magnificent; all around in the distance the stupendous mountains of the Swiss Alps, snow-clad broken tips and bare cliff faces. The sky is overcast but lively and and on the horizon, just above the mountain tops, is a gap in the clouds showing a strip of azure blue. The weather however is bad, my provisional winter clothes that have worked well so far, are insufficient to withstand the cold. The wind blows icy needles into my face that sting my eyes and my hands quickly turn to frozen lumps. I cannot remain here. No matter how much I want to stay and enjoy the view, stay and enjoy the fields of fresh snow and empty slopes, I cannot. For the sake of comfort and, if I linger too long, life, I must get down and find some warmth. For another time, for better weather and proper clothes, I leave the glacier with haste.