conquering your own summit

I get a weakly blast in my email from a site called "Zen Habits".  When I signed up I thought that Zen would be good for my soul.  However, like a lot of other things I sign up for, I very rarely read it. I call it "Zen for my soul".  It's not that I do not need it, because I do.  I just find every reason in the world to avoid looking into my Zen Soul.

However, today I read a guest writer and his mountain theory.

How to Summit Life’s Everyday Mountain (Scott Dihsmore)

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” ~Confucius


....Last week I sat on top of Mt. Shasta, a 14,179 foot mountain in Northern California. It was my first real summit and I was proud. Getting there took me through two days of snow, ice and below-freezing camping conditions, using crampons, an ice axe, and more layers than I thought I owned.

......I began to realize the lessons required to reach the top and make it back down safely. As it turns out, the most important rules are just as relevant in the snow as they are in conquering our everyday challenges.


When was the last time you reached a mountain summit, whether outdoors or in life?

He is comparing reaching a summit in life to climbing a mountain.  I think what caught my eye was the statement about sitting on the mountain top. That brought a part of my own life to memory.  I sat on a mountain top once but it wasn't Mt.Shasta.  It was a small mountain in the Cedar Breaks area of Southern Utah and it was only a half mile hike from the road.  However, I hiked my mountain and let it all hang out.  I climbed my mountain in the nude.  I sat on my mountain top in the nude.  I heard my echo yelling back at me in the nude.

Scott gives the following advice for mountain climbing and life:

Pack light...I certainly did that.

Take one step at a time...you try to take two steps at one time and you'll fall on your butt, nude or not.

Don’t go at it alone...disagree here...not to excited about a lot of people seeing me in the nude.

Listen to the experts...actually I wasn't to interested in hearing about other people hiking in the nude.

Slow down...well duh, you cannot walk fast over sharp rocks with bare feet.

Look back and take in the view...check for Forest Rangers while your at it.

Save some energy for the trip down...now there is some good advice.  No one wants to spend the night nude and on top of a mountain.  (at least I don't)

Getting to the top is optional...I don't think so...why would I want to walk around a forest in the nude and not claim victory over a dumb mountain.

Getting down is mandatory...double duh...if you cannot get down, don't climb the tree.

Failure is a part of the process...OK, get out of the car, take you clothes off, shiver for a couple seconds, put your clothes back on and wait for a warmer day.

“It is not the mountains we conquer but ourselves.” ~Sir Edmund Hillary

I absolutely agree Sir Hillary.
 
Running around nude in the trees and rocks is awesome. Standing nude above a canyon listening to your echo screaming the call of the wild is an experience few will ever experience.  I was not sure if my echo was nude.

Eat your heart out Scott.