Climbing trees in Zermatt

I just realized that I climbed a tree in Zermatt. In fact, I've been told that when I was in the tree, a photo was taken so it looks like I am hugging the Matterhorn. When I wrote about climbing trees shortly before I left Alberta for Switzerland, I did not imagine that I would fulfill my goal of climbing a tree just for fun so soon and so unconsciously. And as I suspected, I didn't cry out like Robert Munsch's Mortimer "clang clang, rattle bing bang, I'm going to make my noise all day", but I did enjoy the climb.

It was a Friday afternoon and skiing was cancelled because the winds were blowing too fiercely on the glacier. Most people went shopping or napping but three of us decided to explore the high ropes course in Zermatt. We barely knew each other. I knew a bit about them from introductions at dinner previously. One was the husband of a woman with whom I have skied at Lake Louise; the other was British and still mourning the death of his wife the previous year.

There are three levels to the ropes course, involving various balance-y walks and ziplines. The walks and ziplines are joined by trees and the pattern takes the participant gradually higher. We all navigated the first level and the Canadian fellow went off to join his wife elsewhere. The second level began with a rope ladder, involving loose rubber rungs. Frank went first and struggled. I laughed to see him awkwardly step and fall and recover. I used a slightly different but just as awkward technique, placing my knees first and then stepping up. Frank seemed to enjoy his struggle and loosened up. I saw him smile for the first time on the trip. As we made our way around the course, Frank gained confidence and smiled and laughed. It felt like a treat to see someone who clearly was still in pain, emerge at least temporarily and enjoy themselves again. On that day, playing in the trees outside was a joy for Frank and it warmed my heart to see him have fun. I also had fun.