Facing My Growth Edge
This past weekend my heart smiled as I nourished my soul with some serious nature porn. I went on my first ever winter hike climbing Mt Pierce, one of the 48, four thousand foot mountains in New Hampshire, with the company of an experienced mountain man and his adorable furry sidekick. Gosh this was so deeply gratifying.
I showed up excited. I felt prepared with my newly purchased hiking gear. But what I didn’t account for was my level of cardio, conditioned to my neighborhood walks —not so much for hiking up steep mountains.
We began the hike with only some snow on the ground leaving the trees untouched. There were streams along the way singing to us and to my surprise we came up to a beautiful waterfall. As we hiked further up the mountain, my muscles were on fire. My well fueled stream of cursing kept me company. Like, why did I decide to overfill my pack with extra layers of clothes? Apparently you heat up as you work your ass off hiking up a steep mountain. Hindsight is 20/20, right?
With each steep step I thought of my yoga practice and breathing through the physical discomfort with each ebb and flow of my breath. The harder it got. We stopped for a break and I started doubting if I was going to be able to make it all the way up. May we should call it, I thought.
I had two options….
The first, was staying in my comfort zone & continue to imagine what it would be like to hike all the way up a wintery mountain. This would be much easier for my body but I would feel the disappointment of not following through.
Or I could keep going (while honoring my limits), allow my body to feel a new level of physical discomfort, and hike the damn thing! Without giving my brain too much time to change my mind, I decided on option two. Onward and upward we went, after I caught my breath, of course.
This hike was a new challenge, a new level of growth to be reached, and an opportunity to believe in my self, my body, and my mind. I was ready to experience seeing the world from a brand new vantage point; literally.
I had to pace myself. I took A LOT of breaks. I kept my mind on my goal, my vision, and most importantly connecting to how I would feel when reaching the top— pride and triumph. I connected to my vision of seeing myself stepping onto the mountain top overlooking the world below me. That’s what kept me going and of course the company of the handsome mountain man behind me plus Titus —both unphased by climb (me rolling my eyes).
As we kept at it, the mountain gave in a little and released it’s steep hold on us a bit more. As I paused for more breaks to catch my breath, I got a chance to really look around in awe of the winter wonderland around us. The trees were now freshly dipped in powdery snow that must have fallen just hours before. To the left and right of our trail was a white carpet untouched by even the smallest of creatures. We were enveloped in the silence of the forest. To think, if I decided to turn around I would have missed out on this magical experience.
There is beauty and magic in being present to where we are in our lives without rushing to the end goal. If you rush, you miss out on the magic. This mountain reminded me to appreciate being present for the journey, for what’s right in front of me, where I am, as I am.
It was easily 10 degrees colder and much windier at the mountain top than at the bottom where we began our trek a few hours earlier. Yet the shift in the climate did not take anything away from how big my heart was smiling & the deep feeling of gratification I felt. This wasn't just about the physical quest that we conquered but we were able to tap into blissful presence —taking in the most beautiful wintery views of the mountains. A true winter wonderland lies on top of Mt Pierce watching over the world below as its trees dance with the rays of the sun.
We did it! The ever so patient mountain man who stopped for my tired ass more times than I’m willing to admit would say this was no big triumph. But for me it was one for the books! What we both could agree on that day was that the view from the mountain was incredible, worth the hike, and was way better in good company.