Page 143 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

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When you finally crest the saddle and see the steep descent necessary to negotiate, a

little of their tiredness creeps into your legs too. Those false summits you climbed as

you reached for the crest drained some of your optimism, as it must have robbed

some of theirs. But when you finally see the Stromness Bay, its surface glittering like

diamonds out in front of you, you can intuit how they mustered their fading reserves

and felt their hopes soar. Just knowing that they were finally in the right place must

have given them renewed vigor and confidence.

Along the way, you also enjoy the less abstract beauties of the landscape, the wildlife,

the invigorating breezes, the tiny plants, and the canopy of heaven above you. Even

the little pile of Gentoo penguin bones bleached in the austral sun to a dazzling ivory

white has a loveliness of its own.

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