The weather closed in and covered the crevasses and bare ice with a thin blanket of new snow. Before, I had at least been able to see the crevasses; now the cracks were concealed by a 'drape' of snow which in only a few cases was strong enough to support my weight; most 'bridges' were in fact dangerous illusions. I felt the danger was so great, for travelling alone, that I might have been asked to swim across a pool of lava: I was not going to do it. I turned my attention towards a safe retreat, to live to fight another day. Image copyright Cameron M. Smith, 2002.
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