“Oh, absolutely not.”
That was my response last Tuesday afternoon when Dean asked me if I really thought I was “actually prepared” to summit Mount Whitney the next day.
You see, eight months back or so my neighbor asked me if I wanted to hike to the top of Mount Whitney, which is the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 ft. Without too much thought, I said yes.
I used to do a fair amount of hiking, but I haven’t done any in a few years and I miss it. I figured this would be a fun trip to get back into it. If I’m going up a mountain again, it might as well be the biggest one.
Everything seemed all hunky dory, until about a week prior to the hike. That is when I realized what I was in for. (What you are currently ‘in for’ is another excuse for me to make a list).
Temperature’s between 3 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit (Never above freezing).
Over 6,100 feet elevation gain, at the highest elevation in the lower 48.
A hike that starts at approx 8,500 feet (approx equivalent to the top of half dome).
Possible wind gusts of up to 86 mph towards the top.
Approximately 22 miles round trip.
Most of the hike above the treeline, so all on crumbled rocks or hard granite.
No water sources for the last 4.5 miles to the top.
Guess I better wear two pairs of long johns…
And, because it takes so long when you do it as a “day” hike, we decided to start hiking at midnight so we would be back to the car before dark.
All of that set-up is to tell you this:
The easiest part of the hike was when it was still dark, and all I could see was 3 feet of trail in front of me.
What an epiphany! What a metaphor for striving towards any goal or difficult task!
We had our task with a clearly defined goal: Reach the top.
We had our plan of action: Follow the trail.
At that point, the only thing to do is take the next step up the trail. And then the next one.
Don’t get distracted by how far there is still to go. Don’t worry about that 3,000 foot sheer cliff face you’re on the edge of. Those things aren’t intimidating if you don’t even know they are there!
It doesn’t benefit you to worry about those things. Focus on the next step. What is the task at hand.
It’s a long walk to the top, but you can get there by only focusing on how far your headlamps illuminate.
Want to lose 30 lbs? Here is the trail - Workout at least 3x/week and track your food intake. Don’t worry about family birthday parties that are weeks away or the king sized Snickers that are in the impulse buy section. Focus on what is in front of you, your task at hand. Just make it through today without going off track.
Want to do a pull-up? Work on pull-up drills every time you’re at Excel. Don’t worry about how many weeks it will take. Do the work in front of you today.
Know where you are going. Know how to get there. Then put your head down and execute one step at a time.
Comment and let me know - What is holding you back? What are you worried about that keeps distracting you?