Let me tell you about the day a mountain became my therapist. No couch, no hourly rate – just 14,000 feet of pure, terrifying wisdom. 🏔️
After eight years of calling Colorado home and countless "cushy" hikes (you know, the kind where you can actually breathe), I decided it was time to level up. I was about to try my first fourteener – mountain-speak for "What was I thinking?" Actually, it's a peak over 14,000 feet, but my definition felt more accurate halfway up Mount Evans.
There I was, with my experienced friend Wende (bless her patient soul) and a fearless Swedish woman named Camilla, whom we met on the trail. While they moved like mountain goats, I was doing what's technically called "Alpine Scrambling" but what I'd call "Please-Don't-Let-Me-Die Parkour."
Here's what the mountain taught me (between gasps for air and silent prayers):
- Trust Issues Aren't Just for Dating; My shoes had great traction (Wende kept reminding me). My judgment was solid (mostly), yet there I was, second-guessing every step like it was a marriage proposal
- The Only Way Out Is Through; looking down? Terrifying. Looking up? Still terrifying. Solution? One wobbly step at a time (sometimes on your butt – dignity is overrated at 14,000 feet)
- Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word (Though I Treated It Like One); Wende kept offering her hand while I kept pretending I was Wonder Woman. Well, guess what? Even Wonder Woman probably uses hiking poles
- Mindfulness Hits Different When It's Mandatory; nothing teaches you to "be present" quite like knowing each step could be a viral video moment. It turns out that focusing on the now is easier when the alternative is to stumble down a mountain.
The summit? Absolutely breathtaking. The Rocky Mountains stretched out like nature's version of an IMAX movie. But here's the real plot twist: The mountain wasn't done teaching.
On the way down (mostly via what I'll call my "innovative sliding technique"), I realized something profound: Life's biggest challenges are a lot like climbing mountains:
- You can't skip the hard parts.
- The view is better because of the struggle.
- Sometimes you have to slide on your butt to make progress.
- The best stories come from the scariest moments.
So why should you climb a mountain? Because:
- It'll show you what you're made of (turns out, mostly determination and snack breaks).
- Fear becomes your frenemy (still scary, but kind of useful).
- You'll learn to trust – your gear, your judgment, and maybe even others, and the metaphors for life are endless (and way more meaningful than your social media feed).
Whether your mountain is literal or metaphorical – that career change, that difficult conversation, that new beginning – the lessons are the same:
- Take it one step at a time
- Trust more than you think you should
- Accept help (it's not cheating, it's surviving)
- Keep going (even if you're going via butt-slide)
And remember: The struggle isn't the enemy – it's the teacher. Every scramble, every moment of doubt, every "what was I thinking?" brings you closer to who you're meant to be.
(P.S. - I highly recommend sturdy pants if you're planning your own mountain adventure. Trust me on this one. Your dignity will thank me later.) 😉