On a wing (and a prayer?)...

On a wing (and a prayer?)...

There are a number of mountains named Rothorn in Switzerland. I have enjoyed the view from the top of two of them, the Brienzer Rothorn in the Berner Oberland, and this one, the much higher Parpaner Rothorn at Lenzerheide/Valbella in Canton Graubünden. One steps off the second stage of the two cable car ascent at an altitude of 2,865 meters/9,399 feet to enjoy a thrilling panorama of the surrounding peaks.

The photo was taken last October in late afternoon on a fine visibility autumn day.

I was happy to see the fellow on the bench, as he brought a nice sense of scale to the scene as well as the splash of color from his shirt. For a while, I assumed he was another photographer, enjoying the view and getting ready to do what I was doing…or perhaps a hiker taking a well deserved pause at close to 10,000 feet worth of altitude.

But then, he began pulling something out of his rucksack – great, even more color accents for my shot, and – finally – it was clear what he was up to – he was about to use that flimsy looking thingie to jump off a perfectly good mountain!

I had to wonder if maybe he said a little prayer before launching...

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