Seventy-five stories. Fifty years of mountains. One extraordinary life. In this moving and richly entertaining collection, prolific Cicerone author Kev Reynolds shares the high points of a lifetime spent wandering among the world's great mountain ranges, from his first youthful adventures in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to summit bivouacs in the Himalaya, sun-drenched days in the Pyrenees, and wild storms in the Alps.

Part memoir, part celebration of mountain life, A Walk in the Clouds is a book that will leave you by turns amused, reflective, and inspired. Written with the warmth, humility, and deep knowledge of a man who has spent fifty years exploring mountain landscapes and thirty writing about them, it is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt the pull of a high place.

• Travel the world's great mountain ranges through 75 short stories spanning the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, Norway, Corsica, Turkey, Madeira, and Tenerife, each one a glimpse into a remarkable life lived at altitude.
• Experience the full range of mountain life through stories that capture the joy of the summit, the warmth of local people and mountain guides, the humour of mishaps on the trail, and the quiet moments of beauty that make a life in the mountains worth living.
• Follow Kev's journey from his first adventures in the Moroccan Atlas aged 21, through the decision to abandon a desk-bound career for a life among the mountains, to his evolution as one of the most respected and widely read outdoor writers of his generation.
• Discover the Pyrenees through 16 stories set among the ranges Kev knows and loves best, from the valley of Gavarnie and the Enchanted Mountains of the Couserans to Benasque, Espot, and the high passes of Andorra.
• Be moved by the Himalayan stories at the heart of the collection, covering treks to Everest, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, Manaslu, Langtang, and Dolpo, as well as journeys through Sikkim, Bhutan, and Peru, brought to life with the warmth and insight of a writer at the peak of his powers.

A book to treasure, return to, and share with anyone who loves the mountains, A Walk in the Clouds is the most personal and revealing work from one of the outdoor world's best-loved authors. Read it, and feel the pull of the high places all over again.

A Walk in the Clouds – Quick Facts

Content: 75 autobiographical short stories spanning five decades of mountain adventure across the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, and other wild places
Sections: Atlas Mountains; Pyrenees; Alps; Himalaya; Other Wild Places (Corsica, Norway, Spain, Madeira, Tenerife, Turkey, Peru)
Ideal for: Lovers of mountain writing and outdoor memoir; walkers, trekkers, and climbers; fans of Kev Reynolds and Cicerone; anyone inspired by adventure and the natural world; perfect as a gift
Companion titles: Abode of the Gods, Trekking in the Alps, The Pyrenees (all available from Cicerone)

Author Highlight

“This collection is a celebration of wild places in all their seductive mystery – a commemoration of mountains and valleys; friends with whom some great days have been shared; people met along the way; the generosity of strangers; humour plucked from the most unlikely situation. A celebration of life. If there’s one recurring theme, it’s the sheer joy of being ‘out there’. The mountain world confronts all who enter it with a reality at odds with that of everyday living. In wild places the ordinary becomes extraordinary..”

- Kev Reynolds, author of A Walk in the Clouds

A word before we begin

Atlas Mountains: exotic mountain playground

1: Travels in an ancient land
2: Mules, frogs and bivvy bags
3: Mint tea with a muleteer

Pyrenees: a spiritual home

4: Out of the shadows, into the light
5: Up and over
6: The last green valley
7: It was the nightingale
8: Tragedy on Jean-Pierre
9: The longest day
10: C’est le paradis
11: A Pyrenean maestro
12: Something of a doo-day
13: No friend in high places
14: Death of an izard
15: Among the Enchanted Mountains
16: Hole in one
17: The lost patrol
18: The way to Andorra
19: Rendezvous in Gavarnie

Alps: always something new to discover

20: A big moon rising
21: Living in the clouds
22: Chasing sunrise
23: Out with a pro
24: Battle of the ibex
25: Reflections in the alpenglow
26: The wind of relief
27: Mello magic
28: The pink château
29: A roar of disapproval
30: Unease on ice
31: The joy of doing nothing
32: Just hanging around
33: Walking on ice
34: One sunset too many
35: Henry V goes walkabout
36: Heart of the storm
37: Rätikon paradise
38: Breakfast on a tray
39: Under leaden skies
40: For the thank you
41: Recording historic landscapes
42: The Emperor’s Mountains
43: The giant green tortoise
44: Collecting summits
45: On the hill with Hörst
46: Moments of being

Himalaya: where dreams come true

47: Abode of the gods
48: Ten thousand prayers in the wind
49: Culture shock
50: Guru with an empty doko
51: The puja room
52: Clever little sod
53: The wonder of a blue front door
54: The ultimate chapatti
55: A taste of beauty
56: Head-to-head in the Himalaya
57: The Khumbu carpenter
58: Old man very tired
59: Song of the hidden land
60: Lost
61: Mountaineers of the future
62: To the ends of the Earth
63: A shadow to Cheri Gompa
64: Ballast
65: Saving Tsewan
66: With the aid of a hearse
67: Pasa Chaur

Other wild places: a kaleidoscope of experience

68: Corsica: sun and snow on the scented isle
69: Norway: the blessings of bad weather days
70: Spain: the fragrance of the hills
71: Madeira: lunching with lizards
72: Tenerife: island of the dragon tree
73: Turkey: yogurt with the matriarch
74: Peru: the garden of tears
75: Peru: Alpamayo dreaming

Afterthought

Glossary

Centres

In the Pyrenees: Gavarnie, Benasque, Espot. In the Alps: Zinal, Zermatt, Lötschental, Ellmau, La Berarde. Trekking to Everest, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, Manaslu, Langtang, Dolpo. Trekking in Sikkim and Bhutan; in Peru and Morocco

Must See

mountain adventures and experiences around the world in ranges as diverse as the High Atlas of Morocco, the Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, Norway, Turkey and Corsica

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