Reminders from the Mountains

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My mission is to question everything, grow every day and have fun along the way. The Summit’s mission is to invite you to do the same.

Tuesday Deep Dive: Reminders from the Mountains

There are life lessons everywhere, all around us, all the time. If you’re a golfer, you might talk about the importance of peace and quiet, or if you’re a musician you might talk about the importance of perseverance.

Now, I am not a true ‘mountain lifer’ but as you may know, I have spent most of my time in and around the mountains over the last couple of months. Last week, I wrote about a lesson that one of my adventures taught me, to trust your gut, and this week I want to keep it going - because that is not the only thing I have learnt.

These lessons are humbling and timeless - just like the mountains - and can serve as healthy reminders for everyone (especially if you plan on getting out there)!

1. Doing hard things is rewarding.

Sitting at the summit of Mount Lady MacDonald, I decided to conduct a qualitative experiment: look at the expression on each person’s face when they reached the summit. Over the course of 30 minutes, I saw about 10 people reach the peak. Can you guess what their faces looked like?

Nearly every single one. Over the moon. Cheesin’ from ear to ear.

Why? Did they not just endure a 1200 metre gain in elevation? Are they not in pain?

Us humans are a little funny. We love the challenge. We love meeting our goals; and we love overcoming hard things (seeking discomfort).

Although we don’t always enjoy doing ‘hard things’ in the moment, it’s always worth it at the summit (or at least my little experiment says so).

P.S. Maybe I should word it more like: ‘it’s always worth it when you look at how far you’ve come’, because the focus shouldn’t just be the summit of the mountain, but the journey of ‘summitting’ the mountain (journey > destination).

2. Expect the unexpected. Be a healthy skeptic.

When I am met with a scramble (the hike turns more into a climb) no hold is certain:

Although I am doing nothing remotely similar to those guys, rocks break loose all the time and it is something I must be aware of. Before I decide to put all of my weight through a hold, it is super important that I test the strength of the rock as best I can (give it a little push and pull). Because if I don’t, I could come crashing down, just like the big rock above ^.

Where am I getting at? Well, this simple case reminds me that we should always expect the unexpected. When we are putting our trust in someone/something, the last thing we want are surprises; and we can mitigate this with healthy skepticism.

To give another example (that is still a little raw), let me tell you about my favourite pair of sunnies:

When climbing Cascade Mountain last week, we knew it was going to be a windy day - up to 90km/h gusts! The closer we got to the summit, the more it began to pick up. There was even one stage where we laid down to take cover. Do you think I thought about the risk of losing my sunnies to the wind? Well yes, I did when they nearly flew off on the way up. But do you think I took them off and put them away afterwards…?

If only I expected the unexpected.

3. There are false summits everywhere.

If you don’t know what a false summit is, let me enlighten you. You’ve been hiking for hours and can finally see the summit! You are jumping with excitement as you tackle the final few metres; only to reach the top and realise that the true summit is another two odd kilometres away (it was hidden from view behind the false summit).

When you reach a false summit, the disappointment can be real. But what the mountains have reminded me is that they are an inevitable part of the trail to the true summit.

Whether it is the job/promotion that you were so sure was yours, or the high of graduating that is quickly clouded with ‘wtf do I do now’. It is all a part of the process. The mountain (life) is just f*ing with ya. Don’t let it - expect and accept false summits.

P.S. Remember to have a next play mentality.

4. The path isn't always clear.

This could not have been made any clearer than when hiking Bald Eagle Peak. As you get close the top, the path basically disappears… it is up to you to pick your own path to the summit. Some paths are easy, some are hard, and some are straight up sketchy.

It takes time to be able to pick the best routes (my friends tell me I am terrible at this), but you always have a better shot when you have a map. Obvious, I know, but you would be surprised at how many people ditch the map and ‘send it’ in the total wrong direction (yes, I have done this multiple times now).

So, my takeaway: have a map. Not just in the mountains, but in everyday life.

But how do you have a map in everyday life? I wrote a little a piece on this a while ago: writing a personal mission statement. Although you never know exactly where you are going to end up, if you hash out a personal mission (your map), you can steer yourself in the right direction and give yourself the best chances of reaching your goals (the summit 😎).

But on the other hand, if you ditch the map and don’t know what direction you’re going in, you’re far more likely to wander aimlessly, head down a sketchy path, or get lost far from your goals.

5. You can go further together.

Whether it be splitting a tent in your packs, helping each other through sketchy sections or talking enough to keep the bears away 😅. You will always get further with friends. Teamwork makes the dreamwork yet again 😎.

Spoiler: I went back to Bald Eagle Peak with some friends yesterday (the climb that reminded me to trust my gut) and we made it to the summit together!

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_{As always, if you have any feedback, you can respond to this email! I’d love to hear what you think :)}