Trip Theme: Climb

I love the Climber community.

It takes a certain type of person to put all this effort and risk into climbing up something, just to come back down. There is no pot of gold on top of that boulder, and no promotion to be found on that summit, yet we strive like our life depends on it (and sometimes it does).

Victor Frankl writes in Man's Search for Meaning, that overcoming adversity/suffering, is an end in itself. Without struggle, man often descends into an "existential vacuum", a state of distress that comes not from discomfort and challenge, but from having no challenge to oppose.

I think today's society is often overly focused on the alleviation of discomfort and the promotion of comfort. Frankl proposes that a balanced life, one in meaningful equilibrium, must have ups and downs, successes and failures, ease and disease.

I think this search for happy homeostasis is one of the themes of this trip (and maybe my life). We go into the wild, forsaking lavish meals on the town and instead, committing ourselves to finding happiness in a simple meal cooked over a camp stove.

But what does this have to do with climbing? The summit of a mountain holds few tangible ends. What makes achieving the summit such an ecstatic experience, is the blood, sweat, and tears climbing up, culminating in reaching the top. As well as, the knowledge that you don't have to climb anymore.

What makes Friday feel so good? Knowing that another week of hard work is behind you and that you don't have to work again until Monday.

Like many things, I feel like climbing can just be a metaphor for the rest of life. You set your eyes on some lofty goal, work your ass off, and if you get to the top, you feel accomplished and better for overcoming adversity along the way.

On this journey, we have set many goals for ourselves, and find ourselves daily facing other challenges we did not expect. To name a few: bugs, police, traffic, injury, longing, discontent, and many other symptoms of withdrawal from the lives we have crafted, as well as the growing pains of this new life we have stepped into, on the road. But while these challenges do not bring "comfort" necessarily, I am glad to be facing them.

Facing any challenge is not just about conquering it. Climbing any mountain is not just about standing on the top.

"So what do you want to do today?"

- "Let's climb something"