Finish What You Started
As I kept inching closer and closer to the top, still sliding out from under myself every other step. I was joined by a fellow climber coming from the other trail up. His name was Joe and he had told me he had been planning this trip for over a year now and flew all the way from St. Louis just to summit the mountain. As we trecked through the rugged and icy snow, we talked about what brought us here today and how were going to make it to the top no matter how terrible the conditions are. Hearing his story and the journey that brought him to this mountain today really allowed myself to put into perspective how crazy this everything I am doing really was. Nothing I had on me from my shoes, to my “crampons”, to the pullover I got from goodwill months prior, to the beanie I had on my head, was suitable to take on this adventure. Yet regardless of the circumstances, I was now less than 250ft from summiting my first ever mountain. No matter how many times I slipped or lost balance, I never once thought I wouldn’t make it. In a situation like this, if my belief in myself wasn't at 120%, then at any moment I would’ve taken off tumbling right back down the mountain.
With 5 steps left to go before reaching the top, I could feel the victory. A smile from cheek to cheek started to form and the mission was now complete...After a long and grueling 4 hour summit, I had finally reached the top. I sit down, solo, and look behind me, fully noticing all that I had trekked. With not a pinch of energy left, I sit there in awe. “Wow...I did it.” I talked into the camera as my face dries up from the snow. An expedition that I thought for some reason would be a “piece of cake”, ended up being one of the greatest life lessons and journeys I have ever accomplished in my life. Some may have turned back when they realized they couldn’t buy the right gear, or when the ranger says you may or may not make it up, or maybe when you reach the snow fields and can barely move without slipping. But all this taught me, and it may sound corny, but after an experience like this, I can’t believe that this isn’t true. If you truly have the upmost belief in yourself, regardless of the circumstances you are in, everything and anything is possible. Who is to say there is a limit of what we can and can’t achieve with our time on earth? Not a single soul can because no one has the answers.
When the ranger saw me at the top he was completely shocked to see I had made it up. With my face completely dried out and both my “crampons” damn near torn to pieces, he offered me a new set of crampons and a pair of glasses to borrow for my descent down. On my way down, I have never felt so much dopamine and joy in my life. Fully understanding the obstacles I overcome to complete this, I truly couldn’t fathom the fact that I just completed this.
If you got this far, thank you. Thank you for reading my story and I hope that this isn’t something you just read and click off, but a story that inspires you to go out and challenge yourself in every aspect to continue to chase...You are chasing a new version every time you challenge your mind without allowing yourself to quit. When I say failing is success, it’s because every time you fail, you have the option to allow that failure to stop you or be a learning point in your journey. You just have to chose which route you are going to take.
