The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: March twenty-seventh, mounting

At 15,771 feet above sea level, the peak of Mont Blanc is literally the high point of Western Europe. Straddling the Alpine border between France and Italy, this majestic, white capped pinnacle has been a magnet for climbers since two locals first scaled it in 1786. In the centuries since, thousands have trekked to the top, including hoop-skirted Victorian women and an aged astronomer who had himself toted up in a sedan chair. Several years ago, an Italian sprinted to the top and back in just under six hours.

Less technical climbing than a test of endurance, it's still no cake walk. Over the decades, the great white one has claimed more than its share of lives, from rock falls and hidden crevasses to frostbite and altitude-induced aneurysms. Still each summer, the French village of Chamonix crawls with climbers eager to conquer this icon.

A gondola and cog wheel train make the first 4000 feet easy, rising to a point called the eagle's nest. From there, the route skirts a steep scree through the Grand Couleur, a narrow cut where rocky rubble can rocket down at any time. This is the point that separates sight-seers from serious summiteers. From here it's several hours of sweaty climbing to the Gouter hut, the world's longest bunkbed. The final leg starts well before dawn, since the summit's a six hour slog up and eight hours back to catch the last gondola down at 4 p.m.

The achievement is purely personal. At the top, above all Europe, the horizons revealed tend to be internal, the borders crossed those of one's own will.

The March issue of National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program, climbs Mont Blanc.

FMI For information on climbing Mont Blanc contact the American Alpine Institute in Bellingham, WA at 360-671-1505 or www.aai.cc