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Article: Alp! I Need Somebody: By Foot, on the Trail of Saint Bernard
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 2, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The walk started with a blessing. At 8,098 feet, the Great St.
Bernard Pass marks the Swiss-Italian border, and at the very tip of
the pass stands a towering statue of Saint Bernard himself, with a
Latin inscription that reads: "Pope Pius XI, a great alpinist,
establishes me as Patron Saint of alpine people and alpinists. You,
who after me have ascended these heights, follow me into the
heavenly home."
And while Saint Bernard's statue speaks of Heaven, its
outstretched arm points north -- roughly in the direction of
Bourg-St.-Pierre, eight miles away in the Entremont Valley, which
was where I was heading. In recent years, the Swiss government has
established a series of historic ...