The mountain is always there, we climb it, not conquer it; we just conquer ourselves.
Dear Mountain,
Thanks for calling me strongly, thanks for using your unique ways to test my commitment, thanks for changing me, physically and mentally into good shape, to see you and go into your environment in person. Thanks for giving those unforgettable experiences, even though they hurt me deeply: it is your way to love your pursuer.
I sat there and always looked at you. I felt you were using your ways to teach me something, the lessons you gave me like a flower bloomed in my heart and continues to blossom and transform my life now.
- You taught me: No one but a mountaineer is the bravest and most courageous to pursue your feet.
You are mighty and tall, always standing there, calling us, we are human, so tiny in front of you, but we decided to step out of our comfort zone, we left our comfortable homes, traveled to a different place or country to explore and go into you, we took the risks, we were brave and courageous, it is your strength that inspires us to push ourselves, physically and mentally, to achieve our goals.
I am that person, a mountaineer, a true adventurer, adventure flows in my blood, you gave me power, you inspired me as a brave woman to pursue my potential and breakthrough myself. I carried a heavy pack and took effort to climb you, got closer with you, I experienced a lot discomfort and hardship, physically and mentally, your steep slopes, strong winds and increasing altitude, even though you hurt me so much, you made me see my weakness and all emotions and pain clearly. You made me stronger and braver to face this tough challenge.
It is your way to test my commitment on a long path. Now, I realize and understand that, dear mountain, we are human, come and climb higher and higher, not to conquer and win you, we just challenge and conquer ourselves, to learn courage, patience, endurance, the limits of our body and mind, and accept the result, success or failure. I convert this lesson to my normal life, I now know I can face different challenges, as long as I am willing to step out one more foot, those roads up and down, I conquer myself. I grew. Every attempt has the possibility of failure, but an avid adventurer has more courage to accept failure in their adventure but is not afraid to go forward and attempt again. Because failures help me grow as much as success does.
I am proud of myself, to be a mountaineer and an adventurer, always pursue your feet, dear mountain.
- You taught me: Mountaineering is not for everyone, but the mountaineers should enjoy all experiences you give us.
I failed to summit this time, but you made me get to know myself more clearly, and I now know my physical fitness is not at the required level yet If I want to stand at the same height with you, I have to work and train harder in the future. In the mountain environment, I witnessed different stories.
Every mountaineer is a good storyteller, some mountaineers have altitude sickness when the elevation becomes higher and higher, we have to turn around at that tough moment; some mountaineers have excellent physical and mental conditioning, however, the fickle mountain weather is not cooperative, like strong winds or a snowstorm could force them to turn around before reaching the summit. My fellow mountaineers attempted to summit on the same day as me, they accomplished 85% of the climb, but the weather was bad, with drizzling rain, so they had to turn around for safety reasons. It was a disappointment, like mine, because we took huge effort to climb the mountain but failed to summit. The feeling of pain is not less hurtful than mine. We returned to camp, looked at you and thought about the lesson and experience you gave us: mountaineering is not for everyone, if we demand 100% success of reaching the summit, it is not mountaineering, and we would feel disappointment. We should enjoy all the experiences you gave us, we live every moment with you, pain or joy, success or failure, laughter or tears, disappointment or hope, all are incredible and unique. Not everything in life is perfect, a lot of ups and downs, but we learn experiences and lessons, just as the mountain gives us different lessons.
We understand you are always there, that day was not our day, but we grew stronger and will come back, with more courage to attempt again. It is you, my dear mountain, that always inspires and gives us courage.
I have a deep connection with you. Going on an adventure with you is one of the most special adventures in my life, it is not like other adventures like I’ve done in the past. It is not one-time experience; mountaineering is worth a lifetime pursuit, every mountain is a new experience, every mountaineer is a good storyteller. Every time we climb, we can achieve different altitudes, experience unpredictable mountain weather and mountain conditions, change our route to climb at that moment, we push ourselves and explore all possibilities. Each climb is unique and teaches us new lessons. You are my teacher, dear mountain, you hurt me deeply, but you taught me new life lessons.
- You taught me: The mountaineer is dancing with you, you always lead us, we respect the beauty of nature.
We are human and cannot control the weather or Mother Nature. We go into the mountain, we dance with you, try to win your heart during this dancing, you always lead us. I’ll never forget the twilight and first ray of the sun appearing on the edge of the mountain, it was one of the best moments on the mountain. I felt fresh wind, my face reflected by the strong sun, I saw the landscape, I enjoyed the thin air when the altitude increased, I respected the beauty of nature. It was pleasure to go into and dance with you, you allowed us to get closer to Mother Nature, respect and accept any directions she gave us.
Dear mountain, you are the place I tasted the spirit of adventure: I listened to my inner voice, overcame fears and uncertainty, dared to disclose my goal, you whispered into my ears and that kept me going. I prepared, traveled and climbed, and experienced failure, all the experience and pain are special and memorialized within me, living now deeply in my heart, and were all there to teach me life lessons.
You made me look inside myself deeply, you made me realize that I am strong and courageous, you gave me the strength to come back to try again. You are my teacher, the lessons you gave me are unique and powerful, you change me. Now, I am reborn. Mountain climbing is a very human experience, even though you broke me down, I still want to return for more. In order to improve my physical fitness, I will do hard training 8-12 hours straight, increase my leg muscles and endurance, improve my whole body fitness, I will accept your challenge again: Mt. Rainier in Washington, at 14,411 feet, next climbing season.
The purpose of life is to discover our true potential and know who we are. To know who we are, we need to find out what we love to do, And for that, we have to set out on a journey into the unknown led by our inner voice. Once on this path, every risk is worth taking for it brings us closer to our true self. Mountain climbing is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, and one of best ways to learn to discover one’s self and grow.
Even though you hurt me so much, my dear mountain, I will always love you, and I’ll wait for the day when our eyes meet again. I look forward to see you soon!
Love,
Stephy
STEPHY 