Second Place of Birth : Nevis

At night the sounds of the distant port faded away, but now, as morning breaks, I can even recognise the sounds of the noisier road vehicles. Though I am already at the threshold of civilisation it is still well out of my reach. Will I succeed today? – I ask myself. I feel quite nervous about my plans for the day. What if the slopes down there won’t be gentle? What if I get stuck among the rocks or even fall into the canyon? Should I be on the path that I left yesterday? Certainly not! I am completely exhausted and only with extreme efforts can I manage the walk down the slope, while I could never attempt another climb almost to the top of the mountain.

I should start walking as soon as the day becomes bright enough. Later the sun will find me and when it starts to shine on me the heat will be almost unbearable. So, I set off – there is anyway nothing more that I should do here. In my pocket I still keep the small packet containing the memory cards (pictures and sound) and a bit of money that I can later use for the taxi to Nisbet. Or should I be more realistic and go to hospital first?

I had to walk sideways down a very steep slope in order to bypass the dangerous part of the canyon with "my hollow" and at least one other, even deeper, abyss. Apart from the usual vegetation I also noticed a new type of very unpleasant grass – not only did it catch hold of everything (including my arms and legs), it was also very sharp and tough. It didn’t only scratch me (I wouldn’t have been bothered if a few more scratches had been added to the previous five hundred similar wounds), but it cut deep into my skin so that I was bleeding again. I had to be very careful to rid myself of the grip of that dangerous grass in the easiest possible way and walk slowly enough to avoid any severe cuts. In comparison with this grass, a type of dry cactus that grows in the same area seemed much less dangerous in spite of its sharp needles.

As I expected, my progress was very slow and the sun was boiling hot. I found it difficult to drink my urine while standing on such a steep slope and, as I had no bottle with me, I wasn’t able to use all of it, thus, I began to worry that I would end up being completely without any body-liquid. I felt that the signs of dehydration might reappear soon. Routinely, I consumed the fluid out of a few more Domzale plants, but I also began to worry that I would damage my teeth by chewing on those tough plants.

More and more my fears that the wall would be too steep for me to descend were coming true. According to my assessment it now already had an 80-percent incline, which is, in Slovenian mountains, impassable without additional safety equipment. The only good thing about the slope was the fact that it was thickly overgrown so that I was at least able to grab hold of the plants, which protected me from falling over. The grass and various roots were giving support to my feet while with my hands I could hold on to the trunks of smallish trees or to the stems of ferns. For a few times I even had to use my teeth to stay upright. Whenever the plant I was holding on to got torn, I slipped, but I was soon able to get support from a cactus or some creepers on the ground. Just keep going – I encouraged myself. I should at least cover a few hundred metres more so that I pass the place of my accident.

However, to my disappointment, not to mention fear, the slope was getting even steeper. I began to realise that I could come across such very steep walls anywhere in this area, even in the vicinity closer to the foot of the mountain. What shall I do? – I wondered. Shall I climb up and risk encountering even steeper slopes? Shall I continue walking parallel to the riverbed? Should I rather look for another gap in the riverbed wall that would allow me to descend quickly and, in this way, avoid another, this time, fatal fall? Or, should I go back and find myself in the same spot where I sadly ended up yesterday? I didn’t have the time for long prayers so I just quickly asked God to save me (again).

The slope is now frighteningly steep, it must have a 90-percent incline, so that I can’t afford to speculate or make new plans any longer. The only thing I can do now is to avoid falling over the edge. How high above the canyon am I? I try to avoid finding the answer to this question, but I am afraid that I am still very high up the mountain. Shall I go back towards its top? No, it’s far too late for that. Down there on my left-hand side I can only see the sky -- I really can’t afford to change my mind about the direction of my climb again. What I need to do is to find a suitable handhold. Will this root give me enough support? No, it is too decayed. What about that small stalk? It gets uprooted immediately. Do I still stand firmly on my feet? I’m afraid that the grassy turf beneath my feet is starting to give way. I have to find a better place to stand on-- OK, this cactus will support me for a short time-- Is my death now really close? I thank you again, my God, and blessed be the holy cross! Toni, Mariansa, Miriam, mother!

My face leans against the damp grass. The slope is so steep that I have to move my head backwards if I want to turn it to the other side. Sharp blades of grass prick my nose. A butterfly passes by – this is just an ordinary day: the sun shines, the colourful flowers grow, the birds sing beautifully, only I have to hang on for my life --

The cactus is still holding me, but my legs begin to shake --There isn’t much I can do with my hands to maintain this position, let alone to pull myself away from here. It looks like a fall is inevitable! I might be lucky to survive it, but I certainly won’t be able to avoid it! With one foot I feel for the ground further down there, but reach nothing -- I do the same with the other foot – again there is nothing -- Only the abyss is below me--

The grass, to which I hold, is giving way, torn and pulled up from the gap in the rock. I can feel that my fall has begun as I am losing touch at all four supporting points. Once the cactus gives way under one of my feet the pressure on the other foot increases, which leads to a slip. In that moment my body seeks support from my arms. I can see how the last tufts of grass are being pulled out and with a loud noise I am falling into the depth of the canyon --