The Climb

This past summer, I spent a little time comparing life’s challenges with the sport of mountaineering, specifically in a couple of posts titled When Life Seems Like Mt. Everest. I have been planning to finish that series with a post focusing on how it is typically the journey a person experiences, rather than the destination, that is most important. However, I’m not certain that is completely true. I am at a point now where I see that both the journey, as well as our destination plays a vital role in our ability to successfully handle the challenges we come across in life.

First lets look at the journey we take. If we are not required to put in the due diligence of taking one step at a time, navigating the obstacles, feeling the burning fatigue in our muscles, and even managing the fear of the unknown…then most likely we will not appreciate the summit as much had we, in fact, endured those struggles. The sights, the smells, the details are all drawn out in an intimately vivid way from knowing what it took to be there. The journey gives us perspective, helps us appreciate where we have come, and even helps us gain a respect for those who have also made the same trek. A friend of mine who is an avid mountaineer, eloquently said this about the journey: “Climbing is a spiritual journey. One strives, suffers, hurts and often fails. It is the journey that teaches us what we are meant to know. The rewards are great to those who face the challenge yet realize that success lies in living to climb again. Some new land, some novel route and sometimes with new partners. On Belay!” It all boils down to the fact that the summit experience is not complete without having endured the entire journey.

However, I feel we often reduce the role that the destination plays as practically insignificant, which I feel is unwise. The destination is often the source of our motivation, which has a very direct impact on our performance, our drive, and our desire to get through the difficulties of the journey. My desire to reach the summit gets me through all the crap I have to endure. When my body is screaming at me to stop, when I feel as though I cannot continue and I want to give up and turn around, I refuse to listen because there is something greater than me that is calling out my name. This is the power of the destination, and it really does matter what that destination is.

There seems to be a direct correlation of the importance we assign to our destination to the level of suffering we are willing to endure in order to reach it. It is quite obvious when someone is fully committed, or should I say devoted, to their destination, their summit, their purpose, their mission, whatever you want to call it. The level of focus, the drive, the determination, and the willingness to continue on no matter how difficult, all play a vital role in their ability to reach the summit. Unfortunately, I would say that the converse is also true. The person who is indifferent about their destination will never willingly endure the struggles required to reach the summit. They will be forever limited to mediocrity, as it is often the case that the most spectacular sights are indeed the hardest to reach. Those summits reveal their beauty only to the most dedicated.

So, for me…I realize that everyday I wake up with a choice. A choice to get up, and make the most of what I’ve been given, recognizing that there are going to be days that I just want to sit down on the ground and give up, feeling like there is no way I can continue. But when those days do come, when I feel that my days have all passed and my plans have all been shattered, I reach down deep and am reminded of my ultimate destination and that the desires of my heart are in fact turning night into day, and while in the face of darkness, light is most definitely near.

Picture by Dave Pullin

When Life Seems Like Mt. Everest...(part 2)

Route Planning
Once you have selected your Expedition Team, you must next determine your route up the mountain, which can either lead you toward great success or tragic failure.

Being in the lead position of a rope team on a glacier can be quite stressful. You not only set the pace for the team, but you also have to exercise extremely good judgment with every step, seeing as one of the primary threats in regards to glacier travel is falling into a crevasse (huge cracks in the ice). So in order to minimize risk, there are several things mountaineers make certain they do.

Gather Beta
Many rock climbers take pride in a successful on-sight climb (leading a climb, on your first try, without any hints – beta). However, glacier mountaineering is a little different. You willingly accept any beta you can acquire: possible routes, route condition, accumulated snowfall, avalanche probability, difficulty, weather forecast, etc. If the particular mountain and route you are interested in has already been done, then you want to learn from that experience. Of course you want to thoroughly vet the beta you receive, as it might be outdated, or even incorrect.

Campsite Selection
Determining where you will camp is not so much about where you will place the tent, rather it is more about your ability to accurately discern how far the team will be able to travel in a given day, allowing for a certain margin of error. This, seemingly simple task, is actually one of the more difficult skills to master in all of outdoor travel. Consideration must be made for pack weight (which changes as food is eaten), accessibility to water, climber ability/fatigue, weather, exposure, acclimation, as well as many others. Pushing the team too hard will likely result with exhaustion or even injury. Not challenging the team's ability will result in boredom, frustration, maybe even desertion.

Cutting Steps
Contrary to popular opinion, traveling on ice can be extremely difficult. Imagine walking down your driveway after an ice storm and you get the picture. Due to this, there are times you must cut steps into the ice, which can be a tedious and exhausting process. Using the adz of an ice ax (the flat, wide end), the person in the lead swings the ax and literally cuts each step into the ice. Care must be made that the distance between steps is just right. Cut steps too far apart and it may cause someone to fall. Cut steps too close together, and precious time & energy are wasted. The interesting thing is, that as each team member uses a single step, it becomes well defined, making it easier for the person after to use the step.

You are probably ahead of me in terms of relating this to our everyday, but when you feel like you are in the dregs of life, the motivation to develop a ‘route plan’ is likely not there, but it doesn't have to be anything formal. Talk to others who have been where you are, determine what your first milestone will be. Give yourself something to focus on and allow yourself a little reward when you get there. Finally, pay attention to the steps you are cutting, pausing to remember to look up to ensure you are still on the right path. The steps we cut in our personal lives will most likely include the difficult (and sometimes horrifying) work of introspection and self-awareness. It is labor-intensive, but required, and most definitely worth it. This is the hard part of life, but it is also where we grow and recognize we may actually be stronger than we once thought we were.

Photo by Dave Pullin: NOLS Outdoor Educator Course '99: Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA.

When life seems like Mt. Everest… (pt. 1)

Expedition Team
Many often speculate at a climber’s motivation to summit a 29,029' mountain. I imagine one reason may be that deep inside each climber looms something so massive, so daunting, that they assign a physical challenge with it. And then, when they are able to face the physical challenge and journey to the top, they reason that they may be able to overcome the internal struggle as well.

Just as each mountain is different, so are there all types of internal struggles. They vary in form, be it addiction, self-esteem, abuse, pride, depression, sin, betrayal, [list your struggle here], but we all have them. It is part of human nature. And although I doubt you have the desire to take up mountaineering, I feel there is a great deal we can learn from those who accept a certain amount of risk in their lives in order to climb these spectacular summits.

When you find yourself in the shadow of one of these mammoths (voluntarily or not), one of the first things to do is figure out who you want on your expedition team. Who is going to climb this mountain with you? This is where you take stock of the tools and skills you have, as well as the ones you are missing. Then identify those around you who can fill any voids. On the mountain you will need a team leader, a lead climber, a cook, a medic, and navigator, communications, sherpas, transportation, etc. What are the tools and skills you need to make it through your internal struggle? Will you need a confidant, a therapist, childcare, a children’s therapist, a pastor, a cooked meal, a best friend, a support group, a mowed lawn, an exercise buddy, accountability?

Surrounding yourself with a small group of people who will be walking alongside of you, whom you trust, who will help you in your time of need, who will be there to pick you up when you fall, who will call you out when you are wrong, who will help you laugh when you need it most, who will tell you the truth in love, and who truly care for you is critical. They will never be able to climb the mountain for you, but they will be there with you every step of the way.

Spend some time thinking about what your needs are, then realize it is okay to ask for help. We aren't supposed to do this in isolation. We were created to be in community, so why is it we always feel like we have to go through these personal crises alone? If you don’t have your team assembled, then start making the calls. I know who my expedition team is…do you?

Photo: NOLS Outdoor Educator Course '99: Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA. That's me in the lead of the rope team.