Categories: acknowledgement, awareness, friends, fun, goals, gratitude, relax

Yesterday I climbed to the top of Mt. St. Helens. Here are some things I learned from the experience:

1. I can climb a mountain.
2. I do enjoy climbing mountains.
3. I don’t necessarily enjoy reaching the summit of a mountain.
4. I do enjoy bouldering and finding a path where there is no path.
5. When asked if I want to climb another mountain while climbing a mountain, I’ll say no.

Ok, here’s the weird thing. It was an awesome experience. I got to hang out with great friends, achieve a fantastic goal, see a vista that few get to see - at least in the way I got to see it. Yet the top was windy, cold, sandblasting, and frankly not as beautiful as was the journey up and down the mountain.

It wasn’t the summit of the mountain that I’ll remember most. Rather, what I’ll remember is sliding down the snow on my butt (on purpose), hopping over rocks and boulders, watching the flora change from a revitalizing forest to plants that huddle to the ground to survive, and the instant comraderie created with everyone else on the mountain.

I did think of my friend Rosie who has climbed a lot of mountains. I heard her voice a number of times during my sojourn to not worry about reaching the summit, but enjoy the mountain itself. Although at time she told me this it was a metaphor for education and training, it was insightful to apply this literally during my hike.

My friends Kris and Jon asked if I want to climb Mt. Adams with them in a month. I said no. In the next month I’m riding 200 miles on my bike from Seattle to Portland, skydiving in Las Vegas, riding 150 miles in the Willamette Valley for MS, and riding 38 miles in Portland’s BridgePedal. I also want to try kayaking, rafting the Deschutes, visiting Vancouver BC and San Francisco, and perhaps resting a bit this summer too.

Climbing Mt. St. Helens has been on what you all call a “bucket list” for about 10 years. And now it’s crossed off. What I learned from the experience is rather simple, and I’ll never forget it. And everytime I see the mountain, I’ll know that I climbed it. I’ll smile, be grateful for my friends, acknowledge myself, and ask myself, “what’s next?”

Walking on Sunshine,

Joseph Lyons

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