The freezing temperatures hit me from out of nowhere, nearly knocking me off my feet
My teeth start to chatter on their own, so I dig them into my soft scarf to stop their rhythm
I stay determined to complete this part of the climb
But nearby me, several sharp icicles fall my way
While attempting to dodge them, several make impact
One tears into my left cheek, blood smearing across it as how a warrior would wear it
Another embraces my right forearm, making a minor cut into my wool coat
A third sneakily attacks the bottom of my right leg
The impact with help from the wild wind is so fast that it tears into the bone
I let out a loud roar of pain
But it is muffled by the deafening cackle of the wicked wind and hail
Wincing through the pain
I use my arms, ice axe and my good leg
To slowly ease myself up over the next rough ledge
Before I reach for the next rock
The wind flips me off my balance and hurls me a few feet down
My vision captures blurs of ice, rocks and snow
And my ears notice only the taunting of the demons below
Reacting quickly, I plunge my axe into the nearest bank of ice
Hoping I stay there for a few moments to catch my breath
But, no
I fall again as the bank of ice cracks into pieces
My bad leg hits a sharp branch
My nose connects with a small piece of ice
My coat continues to take damage
As bullets of hail rain down on it
Once again, I thrust my axe back into the mountain
Refusing to fall any further.
I look around quickly and see an opening in the ledge above
Slowly and cautiously
I lift my weary body up, continuing to wince from the fresh cuts and battered bones
My eyes squint daringly at the possible resting place
It is indeed a small but inviting cave
My breathing calms down as I crawl into the haven space
I find a few stray pieces of wood
Place them in the well-constructed fire pit
Take out my lighter from my backpack
And embrace the warm flames
I fall asleep and dream of gaining my strength back to complete this challenge of a climb