Ain't No Mountain High

I had the amazing opportunity to do a 3-day climb of Mt. Mulanje-Central Africa's highest point. It was my first mountain climb(because Kathleen said the mountain by the UW colleges doesn't count).

The first day, we led the pack and climbed to the plateau in 3.5h. NBD(no big deal), as Jonny says. It felt like being on the stairmaster for 3.5 straight hours.

Day 2, we opted for Chambe Peak. It was an unusually foggy day, and our guide had never been up Chambe before. Both are prerequisites for an interesting climb. The first day was a physical challenge, but this day was an emotional challenge. After 3h, we were within 200m of the peak. However, these last 200m was a vertical free climb. Free as in no harnesses, not free as in you don't have to pay. My heart raced with every move I took. I was so close, yet so far, and I was determined to make it to the top. Unfortunately, our guide was not confident in our free-climbing skills, and advised us to go back down.

Disappointing? Very much, yes. But there are many lessons you can learn from climbing a mountain, and these lessons can be applied accordingly.

I learned that foggy days can be a blessing because you can't see how close to the edge you are, and you focus solely on your steps, not fear of falling. I learned that making it to the top does not mean a constant upward climb, there are points in which you are walking straight, and there are points when you are going down. Some steps are easy, and others can't be taken without the help of a teammate. And sometimes, you have to give yourself more credit than you think. You have to trust that you will be able to pull yourself up and get your feet onto the next footholds. That when you're not sure of your steps, ask someone who can see your path more clearly than you can. I learned that sometimes going down, and taking steps back are much scarier than taking steps forward. There are times when all you want to do is keep going, ignoring your limitations, and you have to accept that maybe you won't make it. I felt the exhilaration of pushing the boundaries of nature and self, and it felt wonderful. Maybe the timing wasn't right, maybe I wasn't ready, and maybe I'll get another chance at Chambe. 2010 anyone?