Ready or Not: When You Climb Mountains

Our Colca Trek guide, Johan, examined the gear we had laid out on the bed of the hostel where we were staying in Arequipa, Peru.

He fingered my raincoat that I had purchased at the last minute in Arizona. "Good," he said. "For the wind on the mountain."

I also had wind/rain pants to wear over my hiking pants. I pointed this out.

Johan frowned. "You can buy leggings also at a shop in town. For the cold."

Johan checked over everything. He was satisfied with our additional layers and hiking boots, although he worried Kevin's were too low for the loose volcanic rock. He promised to bring a tent, down sleeping bags, hiking poles, gaiters for Kevin, the food, and everything needed for cooking at high altitude. He reminded us to each pack 5 liters of water.

"Not in those," he said, pointing to the Camelbak hydration bladders on the bed. The water hoses could freeze solid during the night at base camp. In the high altitude, you didn't have the oxygen to suck in the water anyway. You needed to squirt it in your mouth.

What had I gotten myself into?

We had arrived in Peru the week before. We spent a week around the Cusco area, hiking and acclimating in the 11,000 foot altitude. We had arrived in Arequipa (8000 feet) that morning after a 10-hour, all-night bus ride. We planned to hike El Misti, a 19,000 foot mountain the following day. The driver would drop us off at 13,300. We would sleep at base camp at 15,800 and then try for the summit.

When we had signed the paperwork at Colca Trek earlier in the morning, the receptionist had done her best to convince us to do the Colca Canyon instead, a popular tourist destination - "The Grand Canyon of South America."

We laughed and declined. "We came to climb a mountain."

Preparing to hike a mountain while living in a desert is no small feat. For months we had been prepping, working out at the gym and climbing steps at a seven-story building, our tallest option.  Later we added backpacks with 4-6 liters of water and hit the 1800 step-workout again. While in the states, we also took three hikes in higher elevations.

After Johan left, we took a short walk to the plaza to purchase leggings and water. We packed our backpacks, leaving room for the supplies Johan would bring.

We stripped our gear of non-essentials. No make up. No jewelry. No pillow.

Food. Water. Warmth. The bare necessities.

We weren't boarding a cruise ship or lounging on a beach chair at a resort.

When it comes to climbing mountains, you only carry what you absolutely need.

It has always been this way for those who tackle mountains.

How are you doing today as you face your mountain?

Are you going after a dream? Doing a hard thing? Facing an obstacle?

What is holding you back? Weighing you down? What can you trim off your schedule?

Beware of the lie that says you can add just one more thing and still do your best on the mountain.

As you ascend, it will come back to bite you. Trust me.

This is the four lesson in facing mountains.

Lesson #4: Only carry what you absolutely need

.Happy climbing.

Today

on your mountain-preparing journey of faith

I pray you can do the hard thing

and cut out what you don't need,

as you begin to climb.