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In April 2018, my trekking group of half a dozen friends headed to Uttarakhand to climb Pangarchulla Peak. Sitting at 14,700 ft it is considered to be a moderate trek. After my climbing group summited the difficult Pin Parvati Peak (17,500 ft) in 2017 we decided to take it easy.
We were joined by 9 other trekkers on the hike organised by India’s leading trekking community India Hikes.
I have always considered trekking to be a cleansing experience. What an oil change does to a machine, trekking does the same for my soul.
Below I share few lessons learnt while climbing that can be used in real-life situations also.
You’re not the only one struggling
Every climber struggles. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert. We all struggle.
It’s the attitude of your struggle that defines you as a climber.
Amateur climbers in our group have struggled but finished difficult peaks and experienced trekkers have needed a dose or two of motivation to finish moderate peaks.
Knowing that the guy in front of you is struggling just as much as you are is comforting. And if you’re going to compare yourself to others, compare the effort and not the struggle.
We all have been given the same mountain to climb. You might take a different route to get to the summit but our challenges are more or less the same. In order to get to the top, take a moment to pause and see which climbers above you are doing well and what techniques are they using. Learn from those ahead in the curve.
Once in a while, look behind and see who’s struggling. Share what you have just figured out. It will have no impact in you reaching to the top except for more respect from fellow climbers.
Acknowledge the might of the mountain. Consider yourself lucky to have been granted the opportunity to go through the struggle. Complaining only makes it worse.
Look down, climb up
The most exciting day on a trek is the summit day. The grand finale.
Rule of thumb states that trekkers leave in the early hours of the morning so that you cross any glaciers or ice laden paths before the ice starts melting post sunrise. The entire group goes through a range of emotions the evening before summit day — excitement, anxiety, fear.
Ask any climber and they will tell you that it’s hard to measure the amount of climbing done during night time. Since the furthest you can see is a few feet ahead in the dark, you just follow your guides instructions and climb. When the sun rises, you look back & realise the huge distance that has been covered already. There are few patches you have crossed without hesitance that you might not have in broad daylight.
When the sun is up doubt sets in. You constantly look up to see how much further you have to go. The same mind that was quiet till now in the dark starts telling that you don’t have it in you to finish.
When the going gets tough, which it always does, it’s easy to come up with excuses. Our mind is a like a child that starts throwing tantrums if you don’t parent it well. I’m tired. I’m sick. It’s cold. I didn’t practice enough. It’s too far. Give up. Turn around, there’s always next year. It’s too risky.
One of our trek leader at dawn said ‘Look down, climb up’. He might have sensed the nervousness in the team. Many of us followed his advice and couldn’t thank him enough.
In the real world, we take on big challenges only to find ourself deserting them in the middle. Why?
Because we are constantly looking up to see how far we are from the finish line. We are looking for ways to avoid putting in the hours and still reach the end line. Constantly checking our phones & social media has reduced our attention span to a few minutes. Same as dogs.
If you want to create anything worth sharing or selling, it takes time.
Keep your head down, lay low, focus and keep digging.
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Consistent small steps
In 2013 I did my first high altitude climb. For some reason I picked the toughest one you can put you finger on. Stok Kangri, Leh Ladakh.
At 20,500 ft it is one of the highest mountain in the world that you can trek.
Our trek guide, Akhil Sharma used to constantly tell us — ‘baby steps, slowly, slowly’. We made fun of those words when we heard them but the lesson behind them is priceless. Now I find myself repeating those words on every trek.
Smaller, consistent steps don’t fatigue our muscles as fast as taking longer strides does. It keeps the heart beating at a consistent speed and you won’t be panting every few steps. In the real world, making small daily progress consistently towards your goal will get you there faster with lesser burnout.
It’s about the friendships you make and not the summit
Reaching the summit alone and no one to share the joy with is pretty boring.
The feeling of awe and accomplishment will last for few minutes, you will applaud your efforts, take a few pictures and soak in the view. Soon, you will be looking around to see who else has reached so you can share the joy with.
When you don’t see anyone around, look down the mountain and encourage others climbing up. Your words will make their feet move faster and soon you will have company to share the experience with.
In the last four years I have made friends with people that I sincerely hope I can be around with for the rest of my life. They make the entire trekking experience so much more joyful and I call them my brothers now. There’s a bond that gets renewed every year while struggling to reach the top of the mountain. We pull each others leg but we also fight to carry each others’ bag when someone is injured.
In the real world, every new person you meet brings the opportunity of a long lasting friendship. Suppliers, customers, employees, peers — don’t wait till you need something from them to be nice. Just, be nice. It goes a long way.
Become fearless
I have always struggled with the descent more than the ascent.
While climbing up, you can control your speed. The mountain allows you to use its arms and shoulders to pull up.
Coming down is a different story. The ice is slippery and you’re exhausted. Since the adrenaline high is still around you start to think you’re invincible. No wonder, more people have died on their way down than their way up.
Think about the bad patches in your life. Didn’t it feel all happening to fast, as if you had no control?
I remember climbing down in 3 to 4 feet of snow few weeks ago. Inspite of being cautious there were moments when I felt I had no control and the snow below me had a mind of its own. At that moment the only thing that helped me stay on my feet was zero fear of falling. Although I kept telling myself not to fall I also told myself that it was ok if I did.
The moment you realise that you have overcome fear is a very powerful moment. It feels like a vacuum. We are so used to having emotions run through our mind in every situation that the absence of an emotion such as fear in the face of a challenge is rare.
Looking back, I realise the transformation didn’t happen just in that moment but happened over months of visualising being in a tough situation and staying calm. Cool as a cucumber.
The next time you’re faced with a difficult situation in life, use it to practice being fearless. Knowing that it’s ok if you fall.
May the trekking tribe continue to grow.
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