It is here....

Tomorrow I will Fly to Billings, Thursday leave for Washington. Friday – Saturday, Shawn and I will hopefully climb Mount Adams, take 2 days rest, then climb Mount Rainier. Its been a rough last two weeks with an injured toe and Pneumonia, But I did a 14er yesterday and felt pretty good. The weather on Rainier has not been optimal. Snow and rain has been dumping on the mountain since winter. And this week another low pressure system is moving in. I still have high hopes for good weather and many people are still summiting. I am very excited and nervous. To climb Liberty Ridge you need near perfect conditions. It will be a game day decision depending on the weather. This will be my first “Big” Mountaineering attempt. I've done overnights and have a solid base of technical climbing. I still have a long way to go but feel I have properly trained my mind and body for this challenge. Could I be in better shape? YES Could I be in better health? YES But I am in the proper mindset and know If given the chance I will succeed.

I've been thinking more and more about why I am doing it and why I have more recently spent more time in the mountains and it is definitely the challenge. I realized a long time ago I will never be the best climber, the best fisherman, or the best runner, or whatever. I simply do not have the means to devote my life to any one of those things. I realized my competition needs to be with myself, constantly challenging what I think I can accomplish. To better all aspects of my life, I have learned to live out of a confort zone. Many people including myself get into this mode where you become comfortable.. This is in your personal life, work life, relationships.... Things are easy. You might be content but not happy. When you get out of this comfort zone its a strange feeling. At first you think its a bad feeling. You're a little uneasy. You want to get back to this comfort zone where you can feel all warm and fuzzy. And soon you become to realize that all good things come from this uncomfortable state. Your decisions are better, you take risks but also reap the rewards. This happens in more things than just climbing, but I think it is brought out when climbing more because when you are doing things that “appear” to be more dangerous, your “Fight or Flight” instincts kick in. You have to fight. And soon you become a stronger person. You make better decisions. You can more easily put problems from everyday life into perspective. You realize how unimportant little stresses in your life are and its much easier to shrug them off. This Un-comfort zone I am talking about is what I have been pushing for. A friend of mine Rusty talks about “enlightenment through suffering”. I am not sure I even really know what suffering is yet? Its probably different for everyone. Maybe suffering is the advanced stages of the un-comfort zone I am talking about. It is forcing you to take control of a situation and control the outcome.

I am looking forward to this trip and the feeling I will get if I reach the summit of Mount Rainier. Whether I succeed or I fail, I know this will be a defining moment in my life.