Marco, the hut keeper

Marco has kept the Schreckhorn Hut for twenty-two seasons. He arrives in June, before the snow has fully gone, and leaves in October, after the last walkers have come down.

The work is simple and endless. Water to carry, beds to turn, a radio to listen to when the weather closes in. He says he has never been bored once.

We sat with him at the long table after dinner, while the last light came off the rock. He pointed at peaks the way other people point at old friends.

Up here, he said, you learn what you actually need. It isn't much. Peak & Pine is built for people who already know that.