SOUTH SISTER - 7/21/19

My friend, Lauren, had wanted to hike South Sister for years. So in July of 2019, we finally set out to do it. We packed the cars, rented a small house near the mountain, enjoyed a night of delicious home-cooked food, and awoke at the crack of dawn to drive to the base. Our five person crew consisted of various skill levels, with myself most notably the least in shape. And when I say least in shape, I mean in addition to having exercise and elevation induced asthma and a weak knee from tearing my ACL in high school, I also had become quite sedentary with the demands of my new job. So, I packed my emergency inhaler, wrapped my knee up in a brace, and hobbled along with a walking stick (which I can’t recommend enough if you have weak knees).

Lauren’s roommates, Hannah and Ruoxi, made it up the mountain about two hours earlier than me. Lauren held the middle distance between them and us, while Jason, of course, kindly stayed by my side the entire time, propping me up when I was too exhausted, and pausing to rest every 50 (or sometimes 5) feet as I needed.

I loved the idea of pushing myself beyond my physical limits, to prove to myself that I can fight past anything. I’ve always had a frailer-looking frame and so people often presume I’m weak. But, this experience actually taught me so much more about the importance of mental stamina. There were so many times I legitimately wanted to give up, so many times when I thought I simply could not go on any further, that it would be better to just turn around and call it. I’d march gruelingly towards a peak and think I was there, only to scream internally with frustration when I discovered the next long stretch beyond that. My breathing was growing ever strained, my chest was constricted, and my legs were aching immensely. The mountain was at such a steep incline that even walking 10 feet took an absurd amount of time, especially in the slippery stretches where the gravel was loose and caused you to slide back with each step.

For me, it took seven hours in total to summit. Though, it is worth noting that I was passed by folks running up the mountain. Yes, running. And while I was still puffing up the mountain at a slow walking pace, I’d then see them running back down, presumably after already reaching the top. I think for folks that practice their cardio diligently and never skip leg day, this climb shouldn’t be as awful as I detail in my own experience.

What I pulled away from this overall though, is that by simply focusing on your single next step, and then your next, you can make it a lot further than staring up the long road ahead daunted by how far off the destination looks. In the very final stretch, it was possibly the steepest incline yet, and the only way I made it was by taking one step at a time and resting without judgment as much as I needed. Going slowly allowed me to enjoy the sights along the way - the cerulean alpine lake, the kaleidoscope of butterflies swirling about, the snowy caps in the distance.

I’m grateful to have this experience to draw back on. I use the “one step further” method as a mental game in other areas of my life often now. In conquering my debt, in my career path, in my creative endeavors, and even in hitting my daily step count, I’m trying to move one step at a time in many areas of life and enjoy the path along the way.

Me lookin like a happy garden gnome

Small alpine lake on the way up

There were tons of butterflies flitting about near the top - it was truly spectacular

Taking a nap on the top of a mountain - check!

For the gram

Don’t forget to reapply sunscreen on your neck, kids