Recently I climbed a mountain. That is not a metaphor, I literally hiked up one of the 4,000’ White Mountains with my son. When I was young my father would take me on hikes up Mount Washington, and tell me at the end of the day – “See John, you can do anything.” I tell my kids the same thing when we’ve finished climbing a mountain, but I have a hard time convincing myself that same sentiment these days. In fact, I caught myself as we neared the peak commenting how the hike wasn’t really that hard. I may have thrown the word “easy” around, which is not fair to me, or my son. Perhaps it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but it is still an accomplishment to set a goal and achieve that goal. And I should pause and consider what may have made that hike not as difficult as it could have been. With that bouncing around in my head during the descent, I wanted to capture my thoughts on some of the key aspects involved in tackling the mountains in our lives.
Preparation. You can almost always do more prep-work, but smart preparation before taking on any challenge is critical to your success. I had planned on which trail(s) to take, and since we were doing a loop hike, the direction to travel for best views and an enjoyable climb. We had prepared (more than enough) food and snacks and water, and included some additional emergency items which were not needed, but caused minimal impediment to our overall day. I had watched the weather for two weeks to find a day that would be best for hiking. In the end, we were able to hike on a clear day, temperature in the 70’s, very few bugs, and views that went for miles. And had twice as many pb&j sandwiches as we would need.
Take the first step. Every year I feel I tell myself, and my family, that this is the year I’m going to tackle some more hikes. Seems like something always comes up that gives me reason to not do the planning, or the hiking, and so I think it’s important to note that actually embarking on the hike was an accomplishment, even I never reached the peak, I put my pen to paper and started the journey.
Company you keep. I’ve done a few peaks on my own, and at the time it felt like the right thing to do. But being part of a team, even a team of two, has so many advantages. Sharing the load of the backpack, for one. But also the sharing of the awe of the view, the nature, the history, and the subsequent memories. Even when going alone I recognize the number of people who are making it possible to complete the challenge – my father, my family, the people who blazed the trail, the writers and bloggers keeping the information up-to-date – because I believe that we can do so much more as a team than as individuals. My team for this hike was easily made, and we’re hoping to expand the team for our future excursions.
Enjoy the work. In this case, the fact that I was ‘off the grid’ for the better part of the day was part of the enjoyment. As were the uninterrupted conversations with my son. Hiking is also very good at letting you look at where you’ve come from, and what you’ve got ahead, a constant gauge of accomplishment and potential. It can be hard to enjoy experiences as they happen; it is so common for us to reflect on events in our past with more fondness than we may have as they occurred. It’s ok to work hard and do it with some happiness or satisfaction.
Reward. Maybe it’s sentimentality, but to me nothing is better than biting into a fresh crisp apple on the top of a mountain. It continues to be the reward that I consciously chase on these hikes. I’ve also come to appreciate the shower to wash away all the dirt and grime, the (hopefully) slight soreness the next day, and the checkmark being put on the list of peaks that just got a little shorter. My son’s reward is probably a little bit different – it’s the views, it’s a day dedicated to this activity. Everyone’s reward system is different, and it’s important to at least value what the accomplishment means to you personally.
Improvement. Now that the hike is done, and I look ahead to the next challenge, I get to think about ways to make it better. Some things I can’t control – specifically the company I keep has logistical barriers these days – but I could definitely read more about the history of the mountain, the true difficulty of it, while still keeping aspects of hiking that I like such as spontaneity, challenge (too much preparation can scare you away from a challenge), and random luck, be it good or bad.
As I said, I recently climbed a mountain, and that was no metaphor. But the journey was definitely a metaphor for so many other things in our life. We’ve all got mountains to conquer, some literally and many figuratively. Sometimes we can help others with their mountainous challenges as well. It is a lifetime of those accomplishments that give me the feeling that “I can do anything”.