Did you hear the one about the medical student, the cello player and the old man? Well, there was this 21 year old medical student from Worchester, England named Dan, a 20 year old cello player majoring in music at Oxford University named Heather and this old guy named Chuck. One day they decided they would climb up to the 11,200 foot level on the Matterhorn. Actually, Heather and Dan decided to do this and Chuck asked if he could go along. Illustrating that neither medical nor music training enhances reasoning ability they said yes. So at 7 Saturday morning they set out to climb 5500' over a distance of 8+ miles to gain the Hornlihutte on the great mountain. A gondola could have taken them up the first 3500', but these starving college students could not afford the $40 each to ride. Of course Chuck could have easily afforded the lift ticket, but he thought why spend money when you can sweat, toil and generally fatigue yourself and call it fun? So, for the next 3 hours Dan, Heather and Chuck sweated their way up the switchbacking path below the very gondola they could have been riding. At the top of the gondola ride is Swartzee, a chalet with a fine deck and complete menu. Above the gondola the route continued up the ridge for another 1800 vertical feet to the hut. The three arrived a little after noon, enjoyed a lunch together, and surveyed the hut and surroundings.
Two questions popped into Chuck's head. One, why do you call a three story hotel with full kitchen and large sun deck staffed with waiters, cooks and maids a "hut" and two, why would so many people walk so far to pay $7.50 for a beer? Judging from the crowd of 30 on the deck with more coming and going there must be a reason. Anyway, while Heather sat in the unheated hutte, Dan and Chuck scooted 100 yards across the ridge to the base of the Matterhorn and grabbed the end of the fixed ropes. They began to climb, thinking it was so cool to be climbing on the Matterhorn. They ascended a couple hundred feet above the col, snapped some pictures and descended back to the hut to find Heather freezing to death. The hut is not heated and although she was toasty when they left, sitting in a cold room for an hour can really cool one off. They started down the mountain and in a few minutes Heather had warmed up.
They reached the Swartzee Chalet and stopped in to fill their water bottles. As they mounted the sun deck who should they find? Cindy and Sally, beer steins in hand celebrating the 4th of July with two Americans from Pittsburgh. All sat down for a coke and beer, then Chuck, Dan and Heather continued their descent. Sally and Cindy, having also hiked up to the chalet rode the gondola down to save their knees from the pounding descent. Showers, a good dinner and a strategy session about where to go next and what to see and another day had come to an end.
Chuck
Two questions popped into Chuck's head. One, why do you call a three story hotel with full kitchen and large sun deck staffed with waiters, cooks and maids a "hut" and two, why would so many people walk so far to pay $7.50 for a beer? Judging from the crowd of 30 on the deck with more coming and going there must be a reason. Anyway, while Heather sat in the unheated hutte, Dan and Chuck scooted 100 yards across the ridge to the base of the Matterhorn and grabbed the end of the fixed ropes. They began to climb, thinking it was so cool to be climbing on the Matterhorn. They ascended a couple hundred feet above the col, snapped some pictures and descended back to the hut to find Heather freezing to death. The hut is not heated and although she was toasty when they left, sitting in a cold room for an hour can really cool one off. They started down the mountain and in a few minutes Heather had warmed up.
They reached the Swartzee Chalet and stopped in to fill their water bottles. As they mounted the sun deck who should they find? Cindy and Sally, beer steins in hand celebrating the 4th of July with two Americans from Pittsburgh. All sat down for a coke and beer, then Chuck, Dan and Heather continued their descent. Sally and Cindy, having also hiked up to the chalet rode the gondola down to save their knees from the pounding descent. Showers, a good dinner and a strategy session about where to go next and what to see and another day had come to an end.
Chuck
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