Perhaps the best memories of 2023, born on a warm summer night when we jump the fence, chasing something more than just the adrenaline. Chimneys never held my gaze before, and at only 140 meters, this one should have been forgettable. But it wasn’t. It was our hometown’s chimney, the one that always stood in the distant background. It became a quiet obsession, a symbol of something distant yet familiar.
That night was electric, a moment pulsing with tension. We started innocently enough : burgers with a friend, my wife, some rest on the couch. But as midnight struck, we set out, the nearby town pulling us toward the towering giant. A few Red Bulls later, we were ready.
We slipped past the fence, ducked under wires, evaded cameras, and found ourselves within the cinder extraction building. One last obstacle stood: the door to the catwalk that led to the chimney. By some stroke of fate, it was unlocked.
The slow climb began, deliberate, under the cover of night. My heart raced as we ascended floor after floor. Excitement and fear tangled together, my vertigo whispering at the edges, but nothing could stop us. And when we finally stood at the top, the world spread out beneath us, and for a moment, time stood still.
I haven’t been back since, but the memory stayed. Each time I passed by and saw that chimney rising in the distance, it took me back to those wild nights when we pushed the limits of fear and doubt.
It’s all about the memories.