I wrote this in early June and never published, but I like that it offers kudos to my awesome, mountain-climbing friends who inspire me all the time to train harder and live bigger!
June 7, 2010
I just wanted to share with you a conversation between a man and woman in the elevator on the way into my office this morning:
Man: “Hey did you do anything fun this weekend?”
Woman: “No.” (sheepish laugh followed by a pregnant pause)
Woman: “Well, on Saturday, we went on this walk. We live in Wallingford and we walked all the way to U Village.”
Man: “Wow. That’s a long way.”
Woman: (amazed at her own physical capacity) “I know!! We kept thinking we’d catch a bus, but then we just kept walking!”
In my head, I said to them ”I hiked on Mt Rainier for 9 hours and aided in a rescue attempt. My friend Carna hiked twice this weekend.” I’m being a little bit of a bragger, but maybe just a little amazed, I suppose, that my life is so different than these people in the elevator. Different from the life I used to lead. I’m amazed at people who hike to Moon Rocks (on Mt Rainier) two days in a row (Go, Carna!) and this woman in the elevator is amazed that she walked two miles. Which is great, don’t get me wrong! I wish more people walked to U Village. Or to the grocery store. Or to the coffeeshop. My point being, it’s all relative to the way you live your life. That’s what climbing and big adventures can do to you. You’re just changed in a way that makes walking to U Village seem like, well, a walk in the park. You want something bigger. You think a little bigger. You live a little bigger.
This weekend while we were hiking on the lower mountain there was an avalance on the upper mountain. Fortunately, several climbers were pulled out by some quick-thinking guides from RMI. One has not yet been found. www.komonews.com/news/95695844.html
I think what I’m taking away from this weekend is that you can’t always avoid the avalanche, but what’s the point of playing it safe? That man still missing on that mountain is probably dead and that really, really sucks. But he was a mountain climber – out on the mountain by himself, doing what he loved. What is life if you’re not out there living it?
While I was training to climb Rainier several years ago, my Dad was a little incredulous. Not something he’d ever wanted to do. Thought it sounded too dangerous. “What if that thing erupts while you’re on the top?”, he asked me. Certainly a frightening thought! But I had laughed and said “Holy crap, what a way to go!” You’re on top of a mountain when it erupts? If it’s your time to go, where else would you want to be? In the valley? Sitting in your cubicle? I think I’ll want to be doing something bigger; out there having an adventure with amazing friends. Speaking of which, where are we climbing, hiking, running, biking, swimming, or walking next weekend?
Quote of the day:
“You just gotta keep on livin’, man. L-I-V-I-N.” – Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) from Dazed and Confused
