I was a child in the 70’s. I remember playing in the cupboard with my mother’s fondue set, but I can’t say I ever remember tasting the bubbling cheese mixture that came out of the pot. When fondue was fashionable in our house, I wasn’t exactly a connoisseur of cheese. If it wasn’t melted in a sandwich, I wasn’t interested.

These days, things have changed. Three of my top favorite things are cheese, wine, and bread, so to mix those all together and serve them in a mountain setting, another of my favorite things, sounded like heaven to me.

“Let’s hike first and lunch later,” Patrick suggested. He was already twenty-feet ahead of me and racing to the start of the trail. He leaned forward and marched with his arms pumping by his side. By the time I had opened my mouth to reply, he had already doubled the gap between us. I quickened my pace to catch-up. His enthusiasm in the mountains can be overwhelming and hard to keep up with.