A Mountain With a Special Place in My Heart

Spitzkoppe — not only a climber’s paradise

The Matterhorn of Namibia they call it. Because of its shape, it reminds of a European mountain located in the alps. But Spitzkoppe has a lot more fascinating unique features as a lone standing mountain in the vast landscapes of this desert country.

It’s not just another mountain. Spitzkoppe is about passion. Passion for climbing. Nature. Landscapes. Endless views. It’s about passion for Namibia. A country in the endless landscapes of southern Africa.

This place is like no other.

There is no place in Namibia I have visited as many times as I have Spitzkoppe. I did my first real outing at night here. Sleeping on a mattress on the ground under the sky of a million stars. Surrounded by animals like scorpions, snakes, and other scary creatures which I luckily didn’t meet.

I learned to climb out here. On the rock. On those slab faces. With nothing to hold onto. I learned to trust in my feet when they stand on a one-millimeter ledge.

I took a climbing course out here later in the years to start teaching others. I taught children and adults how to conquer their fear and change the mindset.

I’ve spent hours on the rock faces of this mountain pushing people up the wall. Motivating them to reach the top. I’ve lived out here my dream. The dream of teaching children and adults how to climb on the rock.

I shared my passion for climbing with like-minded people.

But I also fell in love with Namibia here at Spitzkoppe. When I hiked up this mountain the very first time I lost something out there. I lost my heart to the beauty. It is something I will never be able to explain. What I experienced. What I felt. When I was standing on top.

Overlooking the endless vastness.

With pain in my body from the exhausting climb. With all the stress falling off my body of the fear I felt looking down the steep rock faces. I felt relieved. For having achieved what seemed impossible to me.

I was back here. Just a few weeks ago. To show my sister the beauty of this place. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to stay over which in my eyes is needed to experience the place.

But it gave me a chance to say hello again.

And we got surprised by natural rock pools. Something I hadn’t experienced before. Out here is no water, All the water you need you have to bring with you. The water was going back already, but still. The rock pools were there. Filled with tadpoles. Hundreds of them.

The surrounding rocks were burning hot in the midday sun. But flowers were blooming with their fullest strength. Out of every gap, plants were growing everywhere in this area.

Back down at the car, I found more flowers covering the soil. The area had gotten some rain. Not as much as I expected it. But enough to see a green layer over the landscape from a distance.

Like many other famous places in the world, Spitzkoppe has also a rock arch. As one of the highlights visited by many tourists, we had the place this time for ourselves.

Which had to do with the fact it being lunchtime as mentioned before what means the temperatures are unbearable. The sun is unforgiving out here.

It was nice being back here. I felt like I had disconnected from the place. And maybe betrayed it. Because I wasn’t staying for long. The mountain was inviting me to stay for the night.

But we had to move on. A long drive was still ahead of us and I had to be satisfied with the thought of coming back here again. With time. And passion. With my climbing rope or just a mattress on the floor.

To disconnect from civilization. And reconnect with nature. And the beauty of this place.

With the clouds in the distance, I said goodbye. Leaving this magic place behind me. For indistinct time.

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” — Greg Child

More about my nature stories…

When Life Pushes Through the Broken Soil

And how to shift your focus on what you appreciate in life

medium.com

Abundance of Life

The result of weeks of rain