What I learned climbing a mountain

After doing something hard, we are often asked "what did you learn?"

Or- what did you relearn? What did it remind you?

10,000 feet high the other day, my friend Drew told me a story — there was once a man who dreamed of being a monk. They told him it would be a challenging year, but if he really wanted to, he’d have to start by climbing to the top of a mountain every day for 30 days and pouring a bucket of cold water on himself at the peak.

He did the task efficiently, focusing on seeing himself at the end. Being where he wanted to be, becoming who he wanted to be.

As the first month was nearing, they asked him what he learned and he said he wasn’t sure.

They assigned him a second month.

Finally, at the end of the story, the man realized he had been so focused on completing the task that he failed to be present. Failed to acknowledge the pain. He had avoided it. Only by enduring the discomfort of the climb, feeling the pain of the cold water, did the task become easier.

The lesson he learned was that the only way out is through.

Disclaimer: my retelling of this is vague and no where near as specific as Drew's story. There are probably a few holes in my tale. But you get the idea of it.

While I’ve always enjoyed the occasional hike, I never considered myself a diehard hiker.

It was enjoyable because I liked being outside. Here, it’s easy to "get into hiking" because its pretty much the main thing to do.

My neighbors, friends, and coworkers and I are all very different from one another but still I know that whenever I’m in a room with them, I can fall back on the one thing we all share- our love for the park, for the trails, for the mountains, for the hikes.

So far this summer, I have hiked 125 miles.

This week I’ve climbed two mountains. One of them alone. Now, reflecting on my experience hiking this year, the biggest takeaway I have is that it has taught me to believe in myself.

I had a lot of anxiety when I first started hiking here.

What if something bad happens? I’m in a remote area. I’m unreachable. Where is my control?

How do I regain control?

Hiking, climbing mountains, you are forced to believe in yourself.

You’re forced to face the present moment. You are forced to rely on you.

You’re forced to know that you are the one who got yourself up the mountain and now it is your own legs, your own job, to get yourself back down it.

When hiking with friends who are experienced, they can be useful guides, but it is you that has to do the work. No one is coming to save you up there and therefore you must save yourself.

And in order to do that? It is crucial to believe.

To have confidence in your own ability, your spirit, your mind. It’s you versus you because there are simply no other options. Climbing mountains are a nice way to be reminded of that.