The tale of the Mountain Whisperer…

Is all of it true, or has it just been made up? Well, it might be a combination…Only the wind can tell…

Prolog,

Here he stands. A mountain Leader so weathered that the very wind turns with respect. His face makes granite seem porous. His eyes – two lakes frozen with experience – stare out over the horizon as if he has just discovered the meaning of life, and decided to ignore it anyway.

Around him the snow whips as if the world is trying to blur his silhouette. But he stands still. Inescapable. Like a memory from a forgotten expedition or an unspoken “I told you so” in the wind.

Chap. 1. The whisperer awakes…

This story begins about 60 years ago, no one really knew were he came from. Some say he was born in a wind Shelter under the Nordic Light, others claimed he just stepped out of a snowdrift one day. But some say he grown up in the west, raised of pair of wolf who gave him the experiences to best adapt to a life with nature. On skies or skates or hiking, when they stopped a bonfire was burning within a couple of seconds. With a certainty like dawn, he ended up in the army. Here his training continued with an avalanche of knowledge and snow caves to live in.

Chap. 2. Seven Mile Look

It is said that he once stared at the horizon for so long that time itself became unsure whether it was moving forward. His gaze could see weather four days in advance and group dynamics problems before they arose. Hiking groups followed him like mythological companions – not because he talked a lot, but because he could find a dry spot to sit without using an app. Its no mystery that he is a part of the UIMLA (United International Mountain Leader Association). An organization that you might think is a secret order, a mountain whisperer association were they all wear fleece jackets and cross there ice axes over exciting decisions. But they mostly make decision of how to train Mountain Leaders and avoiding school classes to get lost in the mountains…

Chap. 3. The snow Blizzard Waltz

He once led a group through a blizzard so intense that reality itself began to lag. Snow fell horizontally. Compasses spun like fidget spinners. The clients cried silently in their Gore-Tex jackets. But the mountain leader stood there. Back straight. Thermos unshaken. He pointed to a lonely tree in the distance and said: ”There.” And there they went. Because if the mountain leader said that safety lay behind a tree, then they didn’t question it. And this even if he have forgotten one pair of skies for the group at Kläppen.

Chap. 4. Enaforsholm and the last coffee

He sometimes returned to Enaforsholm Fjällgård. Not for rest, but for the coffee. It is said that he could determine the water level in a boiler just by listening to the steam. Staff knew that when the Mountain Leader appeared, there would be a need for more coffee beans and fewer questions.

Chap. 5. The horizon is calling

One day he just stood there, silent, staring out over the mountains. The snow was falling steadily. A young hiker asked: ”Where are you going now, Mr. Mountain Leader?”

He didn’t answer. He smiled, picked up his backpack – and walked out into the fog. The seven-mile gaze remained in the wind. No one knows where he went. But sometimes, when the storms howl over the mountains, they say you can glimpse a figure. With snow in his beard. And a thermos in his hand.

And you know – he’s still out there, the Mountain whisperer…

Carolina – Sons of Legion

See ya soon…