A Walk in the Clouds

Alpine expert Kev Reynolds has spent fifty years exploring mountain landscapes and thirty writing about his experiences. Here he shares some of the high points of a full life as a wanderer and writer. Kev is the leading international authority on many mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, many regions of the Alps and the Nepal Himalaya. As the author of numerous guides he has inspired many thousands of trekkers to follow in his footsteps. As a lecturer he regularly evokes the mood and majesty of the mountains to spellbound audiences. In this book Kev tells how he set off, aged 21, to explore the Atlas Mountains of Morocco - and never looked back. He abandoned his desk-bound local government job to pursue a life in the mountains, living and working in Britain, Austria and Switzerland before finding his true metier as a writer. These 75 stories capture the joy he has take in exploring the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya and 'Other Wild Places' again and again, meeting the local people and the mountain guides, experiencing the local food, faiths and lifestyle and watching the sun rise and set against some of the world's highest peaks from summit bivvies.

Alpine expert Kev Reynolds has spent fifty years exploring mountain landscapes and thirty writing about his experiences. Here he shares some of the high points of a full life as a wanderer and writer. Kev is the leading international authority on many mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, many regions of the Alps and the Nepal Himalaya. As the author of numerous guides he has inspired many thousands of trekkers to follow in his footsteps. As a lecturer he regularly evokes the mood and majesty of the mountains to spellbound audiences. In this book Kev tells how he set off, aged 21, to explore the Atlas Mountains of Morocco - and never looked back. He abandoned his desk-bound local government job to pursue a life in the mountains, living and working in Britain, Austria and Switzerland before finding his true metier as a writer. These 75 stories capture the joy he has take in exploring the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya and 'Other Wild Places' again and again, meeting the local people and the mountain guides, experiencing the local food, faiths and lifestyle and watching the sun rise and set against some of the world's highest peaks from summit bivvies.

A word before we beginAtlas Mountains: exotic mountain playground1: Travels in an ancient land2: Mules, frogs and bivvy bags3: Mint tea with a muleteerPyrenees: a spiritual home4: Out of the shadows, into the light5: Up and over6: The last green valley7: It was the nightingale8: Tragedy on Jean-Pierre9: The longest day10: C'est le paradis11: A Pyrenean maestro12: Something of a doo-day13: No friend in high places14: Death of an izard15: Among the Enchanted Mountains16: Hole in one17: The lost patrol18: The way to Andorra19: Rendezvous in GavarnieAlps: always something new to discover20: A big moon rising21: Living in the clouds22: Chasing sunrise23: Out with a pro24: Battle of the ibex25: Reflections in the alpenglow26: The wind of relief27: Mello magic28: The pink château29: A roar of disapproval30: Unease on ice31: The joy of doing nothing32: Just hanging around33: Walking on ice34: One sunset too many35: Henry V goes walkabout36: Heart of the storm37: Rtikon paradise38: Breakfast on a tray39: Under leaden skies40: For the thank you41: Recording historic landscapes42: The Emperor's Mountains43: The giant green tortoise44: Collecting summits45: On the hill with Hrst46: Moments of beingHimalaya: where dreams come true47: Abode of the gods48: Ten thousand prayers in the wind49: Culture shock50: Guru with an empty doko51: The puja room52: Clever little sod53: The wonder of a blue front door54: The ultimate chapatti55: A taste of beauty56: Head-to-head in the Himalaya57: The Khumbu carpenter58: Old man very tired59: Song of the hidden land60: Lost61: Mountaineers of the future62: To the ends of the Earth63: A shadow to Cheri Gompa64: Ballast65: Saving Tsewan66: With the aid of a hearse67: Pasa ChaurOther wild places: a kaleidoscope of experience68: Corsica: sun and snow on the scented isle69: Norway: the blessings of bad weather days70: Spain: the fragrance of the hills71: Madeira: lunching with lizards72: Tenerife: island of the dragon tree73: Turkey: yogurt with the matriarch74: Peru: the garden of tears75: Peru: Alpamayo dreamingAfterthoughtGlossary