During a summer stay organized by Fede e Luce in Alfedena, in the Abruzzo region, in July of '78, we decided to attempt an excursion up Monte Meta (7,350 feet). We were roughly thirty of us altogether—young people with and without disabilities—and it was clear that we needed to make a rigorous decision about who could take part.
Patrick, a 24-year-old Belgian man confined to a wheelchair and completely immobilized, looked around at us, his eyes settling on one face after another, as if to give his consent to our choice of hikers. No one, until that moment, had imagined that he would join the expedition.
His eyes, as I say, spoke louder than words. They expressed a desire that was unspoken and, we all thought, impossible.
Then, suddenly, after some hushed discussion behind the scenes, we learned with astonishment—and some anxiety—that Patrick would indeed take part in the adventure.
For the first time in his life, he would climb a mountain together with his Italian friends. You can imagine the preparations: joy and recklessness alternated with the worry and tension that such an undertaking placed on those of us old enough to know better. All that worry vanished the evening after, when we saw them arrive at sunset, sunburned, exhausted, and happy.
Read more: With Them I Climbed Monte Méta by Patrick Thonon