And I will say this
Not just my body but my whole being
Is lifted to the heights.
The essence of me driven to be not just on,
But of the mountain
Intoxicated by crystal pure air, hues, aroma of Earth’s
Most staggering beauty
Fingers, toes moulding where rock offers its help
Now ice bitten cold,
Now sweat drenched, exhilarating, terrifying,
Life affirming joy
Should the mountain rule that I must remain
What better solace
Than my eyes’ last vision of such magnificence
Forever connected,
Fused as one with nature’s finest gift
Higher than an eagle may soar
— Hilary Fawcett
This poem was written for James by our very good friend Hilary Fawcett.
She quietly showed it to us amongst a collection of poems she had found for us in the initial days after the accident when we were searching for a suitable poem for James’ funeral. It was untitled and anonymous so we had no idea Hilary had written it.
Out of all the poetry we looked at, it best described to us the draw of the mountains for James and also his awareness of the potential danger. Yet he still chose to climb and we must all respect that.
Event details are available on the Facebook page.
As a result of the very generous donations and sponsorship monies received by the JBMF we can proudly announce that the original intention of providing bursaries for a 5 year period has been quickly met and now the fund will provide bursaries for
22 3/4 Years
To match the age of James when he died.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to and supported the fund in a wide variety of ways. We know James lives in ALL your hearts.