The Winding Northward Road

by Rambling Writer

Day 23

Didn’t go as far as I could have. Why? Because I would’ve reached the summit far too late in the day.

Yes, I’m going all the way up. Why not? I said that if it made a good story, I’d do it. Feeling fine so far; shouldn’t have much of a problem getting to the top. I’m currently camped out just below the tree line; getting to the summit won’t take much more than a few hours from here. Then I can spend most of tomorrow getting down. Food might be a problem -- not much plants grow above the tree line -- but I’ll just be sure to eat a big breakfast before heading out.

I’m really excited for this. Foal Mountain is nowhere near the tallest mountain in Equestria, but it’s still tall. And if I get to the top, I’ll have done it alone. Not too bad for a first timer. And alone-alone, for that matter; I haven’t seen another pony on the mountain yet. You’d think that there’d be more mountaineers about, but I guess not. Wrong season, maybe? Anyway, there’s nopony around to even give me tips, so I’m surviving by my own wits and the skin of my teeth. Which is probably just as much a sign of my own stupidity as my determination, but oh well. I’m still doing it.

So. Anyway. Been camped out for a few hours now. I’ve been moving so much that being forced to just sit and wait is suddenly a bother. I’ve explored the surrounding area, but there isn’t all that much; just trees and rocks, mostly. Could get a good view if the trees weren’t in the way; guess that’ll have to wait until tomorrow. The stream I was following turned into a spring a while back, and now everything’s bone dry. Cold and windy, too; went above the tree line for a while, and when I came back down, I felt like I was freezing my legs off. But there’s enough trees here to block most of the wind, and my sleeping bag should still keep me warm enough.

The night sky is incredibly beautiful up here. Even more than it was when I first started out. When the clouds don’t block my view (which, fortunately, doesn’t happen that often), I swear the stars are clearer up here, sharper. Like I used to be viewing them through a thick sheet of glass, and now there’s nothing between me and them. And it’s WIDE; the horizon’s a lot lower than on the ground. You’d think it wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but when there’s suddenly a whole lot more sky, you start feeling a bit dizzy. (And not just because of the thin air.)

Almost at

Just below the top,

You feel like you could almost

Fall up to the void.

You feel like you could just fall

Up into the void.

Just below the top,

The world turns over, and you fall

The night turns over; you fall

Up into the void.