What’s your bold move this week?
Last weekend I climbed my first 14er, Mount Bierstadt, a 14,064-foot mountain in Colorado.
My husband has climbed several mountains, and I’d never really thought much about it. Then, out of the blue, I told him I wanted to climb one. He was almost as surprised as I was.
The Preparation
Vouth handled all the planning and logistics. My main contribution was making it very clear that I would not be sleeping on the ground and I required running water, so we settled on a cute little mini-cabin with incredible views and, most importantly, coffee in the morning.
Once we had the trip on the calendar, I knew I needed to get some training in and build up my endurance for the seven-mile round-trip hike. My intentions for training and reality ended up being a little lopsided.
As the trip got closer, I was more than a little nervous that I hadn’t prepared enough. We already had tickets booked, so there wasn’t much I could do about it.
I just kept reminding myself that I work out regularly, practice jiu-jitsu, and stay pretty active while trying to ignore the little voice in my head saying, “Yeah, but mountain-climbing shape is different.”
The Warmup
The day before the big climb, we hiked to St. Mary’s Glacier to get our legs moving and acclimate to the altitude. It was a relatively short hike, but about halfway up, I remember thinking:
Uh oh.
I had heard about how altitude is a game changer, and now all of a sudden I understood it. My heart was working a lot harder than I expected, and my head and chest felt an uncomfortable pressure. All I could think about was the next day. If I was feeling this at 10,000 feet, how was I going to make it to the top of Bierstadt?
As if I wasn’t already second-guessing myself, an old friend decided to join us at the last minute. He lives out there and spends a lot of time in the mountains.
I’ll admit it. Part of me was worried about looking like a wimp in front of him.
By the time we got back to the cabin, I was seriously wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea.
The Big One
The night before, I went to bed early so I could get a good night’s sleep before our 4am alarms. We wanted to get an early start to beat the crowds. I hardly slept. My mind just wouldn’t turn off. Morning came whether I felt ready or not.
The guys knew what to expect, and I was pretty clueless. They never made me feel dumb. It was just understood that I was new to this and needed a little extra guidance.
They had told me to pack extra layers. Since it was nearly 90 degrees in Denver, I was a bit skeptical. I never would have thought to bring a hat, mittens, and a puffer jacket. Halfway up, I was wearing every bit of it.
They’d already reached plenty of summits. This one was about helping me reach mine.
The climb up was difficult. I spent most of my time looking down at the trail, putting one foot in front of the other. The guys checked in with me regularly, reminded me it was okay to slow down, and even asked how my heart rate was doing.
Reaching the summit felt great and the view was spectacular. We took some pictures and enjoyed a break in the cool mountain air. For a few minutes, I let myself enjoy the accomplishment.
Then I looked down. It wasn’t over.
Going down took even longer than going up. It was the same trail, but I was tired and I knew I needed to stay focused so I didn’t get hurt. When we finally made it back to the trailhead all in one piece, we could actually celebrate my first 14er.
All smiles when we finally made it back to the trailhead!
Maybe I could have climbed the mountain on my own. I guess we’ll never know.
What I do know is that I accomplished something I wasn’t sure I could do because people who had already walked that path were willing to share what they’d learned.
I’ve found the same thing is true in leadership.
You don’t have to learn every lesson the hard way. There is tremendous value in learning from people who’ve already walked the path and are willing to share what they’ve learned.
My bold move was not feeling ready and doing it anyway.
You don’t have to climb every mountain alone.
Tag someone who has helped you on your journey.