Oh! The Mountains We Climb

Twenty-two years ago, my daughter, Lisa, encouraged me to climb Mt. Princeton, a 14,000+ foot mountain in Colorado.  Actually I think it was more like talked me into climbing rather than encouraging me to take this adventure with her.  She was graduating from graduate school and sent me a note a few months before our trip to Denver:

   "I am looking forward to our ascent of Mt. Princeton and for introducing you to a piece of my world that is sacred and very close to my heart."

How could a Dad resist after that?  So, I embarked on the journey with her.  Long story short....She took me on a 12 hour round trip hike and although I climbed to over 14,000 feet, I did not summit because of Lisa's impatience with the slow movements of her old man!

Lisa has climbed the 54 14er's in Colorado and I attempted 2 others.  There was the hike on Quandary where my trustworthy(?) guide took us on the wrong path and after a considerable amount of time, we found the bold sign that read: Trespassers Will Be Shot on Sight!  By the time we descended and found the right trail, it was already getting late, my back was hurting and we scuttled the attempt.  

And then there was the misadventures while trying to hike up Humboldt.  Lisa and I arrived the night before the hike...the plan was to camp at the trailhead and get an early start the next morning.  As we got ready to set up camp, the sky opened up and the rain caused this old man to declare that a hotel would be a better idea.  Going back into the small town, we found a motel reminiscent of The Bates Motel and Lisa, Kota (the dog) and I bedded down for the night.  The next morning brought clearer weather and we headed up the trail.  A few hours in, the fog got so thick we couldn't see the mountain peak above us and soon had a hard time seeing our feet.  As it began to hail, it became apparent that we were going to scuttle this one too and began our descent.  I looked over at poor Kota and there was at least an inch of ice on his back but we thawed out as we got to lower altitudes.

That was the end of my 14er adventures.  But certainly not Lisa's.  She continued her quest of all 54 and it only took her 10 years to summit and document all of them.  Her dog, Kota, accompanied her on over 40 of them and she hiked many of them with various friends.  My only other ascent of a 14,000 foot peak was in a car and we got to the peak so quickly I developed altitude sickness and had to descend just as fast!

Sometimes we fail to reach the summit, but the climb itself is the real adventure....in life as well as in hiking.  

But now, Lisa has a new hiking partner and they did their first 14er this past weekend.  My granddaughter Mara, age 10, hiked up Mt. Sherman and reached the summit at 14,043 feet.  With determination she slogged through snow near the peak and even got to glissade (on her rear end) several hundred feet on the descent.  This Tuesday, she is already going for her 2nd summit of a 14,000 ft mountain by attempting one of my failures, Mt Quandary!  There is no doubt in my mind she will be successful!  Way to go, Mara...knowing how hard these hikes can be, I am so proud of you!

When Lisa first talked me into  climbing Mt. Princeton, she sent me the following Mount Analogue from Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindful Meditation In Everyday Life:

"There are outer mountains and inner mountains. Their very presence beckons to us, calls us to ascend. Perhaps the full teaching of a mountain is that you carry the whole mountain inside yourself, the outer one as well as the inner. And sometimes you search and search for the mountain without finding it until the time comes when you are sufficiently motivated and prepared to find a way through, first to the base, then to the summit. The mountain climb is a powerful metaphor for the life quest, the spiritual journey. The path of growth, transformation, and understanding. The arduous difficulties we encounter along the way embody the very challenges we need in order to stretch ourselves and thereby expand our boundaries. In the end, it is life itself which is the mountain, the teacher, serving us up perfect opportunities to do the inner work of growing in strength and wisdom. And we have a lot of learning and growing to do once we choose to make the journey. The risks are considerable, the sacrifices awesome, the outcome always uncertain. Ultimately, it is the climb itself which is the adventure, not just standing at the top.

First we learn what it's like at the base. Only later do we encounter the slopes, and finally, perhaps, the top. But you can't stay at the top of a mountain. The journey up is not complete without the descent, the stepping back and seeing the whole again from afar. Having been at the summit, however, you have gained a new perspective, and it may change your way of seeing forever.

As best we can, we show others what we have seen up to now. It's at best a progress report, a map of our experiences, by no means the absolute truth. And so the adventure unfolds. We are all on the mountain together. And we need each other's help.

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

AND THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...........