I’ve been fortunate to be able to climb mountains since I was small. Exposed early to the steep Eastern Sierra trails out of Tom’s Cabin and Mammoth and the more gradual western side out of Yosemite and Mineral King, I loved the yearly summer trips. We slept on the ground or in a rustic cabin, played in and fished the streams and hung out with family friends who all played bridge each night.
I didn’t start backpacking until I was in high school. That opened up the back country with unbelievably beautiful places that few people see. Some trips we went days without passing anyone else. We also had miles of steep uphill. And never enough downhill by comparison. When my sister and I got into backpacking, my Dad didn’t want to be left out. He joined us. Then, some of his friends since high school joined us- “old” guys in their 50’s. They brought their daughters, too.
I don’t remember saying this, but my Dad’s friend, Val, told me many years later that this wise 19 year old pronounced that “if you want to climb a mountain, you have to hurt for it – ’cause people are small and mountains are big”.
In our lives today, this is still true. We cannot always choose our climb. But, climbing by its nature produces stress. It taxes our muscles, our breathing, our hearts. We have to pace ourselves. We have to rest. We have to fuel.
Are we thinking of our daily lives in this context? One of the best things about backpacking is that I lose connectivity with the outside world. Wow, I could choose a lot more of that. And, the other healthy things I do when I am focused on a healthy climb. I’m going to adopt a more conscious outlook about making this climb easier and more fun. How ’bout you?
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