If the mountains could talk, and you kept going all the way to the end...

Have you ever given up before reaching the top?

Life doesn't always go as planned... well, not always.

Life waits for you to organize all the gear for an open-air bivouac at 2000 meters, prepare your food, train for weeks, and cancel any other plans you might have.

It patiently waits for your Saturday morning alarm to ring at 6:30, only for a totally unusual and brutal storm to rage outside.

Well, despite what you might be thinking, the adventure to get lost in the mountains for a couple of days, wasn't canceled.

By some stroke of divine luck (and I don’t even believe in luck), there was no rain, no wind, nothing at all above the mountains. So, beyond what our eyes could see and beyond our disbelief, a weekend of adventure and sunshine awaited us.

"I think it's going to be canceled". "With this weather, I'd rather not do it." "It's dangerous..."

There we were, in the car on our way to the mountains… real brave souls.

Part of us, I suppose, hoped for a cancellation to avoid facing the expected strenuous ascent.

The moment of truth had finally arrived after a summer with little celebration or indulgence.

Anyway...

"Alright, we’ll hike for about 3 hours along that scar you see. It's about 900 meters of elevation gain. After that, it's easier because there are only 500 meters to the refuge."

Note, that we're talking about elevation gain here.

We stared at that wall of limestone rock… 'impossible.

There was no turning back; we had to keep going.

with several of us thinking, 'Why did I get myself into this mess?" the complaints started to emerge. "I didn't bring the right boots," "I'm carrying too much weight in my backpack," "I'm out of shape."

...until one guy had to say it and so he did: "I forgot my water."

The one carrying too much weight quickly pulled out 6 unnecessary liters of water from his backpack and said, "Here, take it, I have plenty." But the guide, indignant at this violation of the most basic mountain rule, didn't allow it. He preferred to share some of his own water while scolding him, and we continued our journey.

Well... I'll give you a heads-up that things didn't end well for the guy who forgot his water, but I'll keep telling the story.

We continued our ascent, each of us lost in our own world. In my own world, I thought to myself, I confess: "What a joy, you're back to your old self, back in shape!"

(To provide some context, I've been a wreck due to injuries for the past 2 years.)

Some of us gained self-confidence while others lost it, some maintained their pace, while others fell behind. Some accepted it, and others made excuses.

In any case, we all managed to reach the first resting point. Three hours and 900 meters of elevation gain on limestone rock, and we’d earned those sandwiches.

Mmm, this tastes so good...

There's not much better feeling than being in the middle of the high mountains, surrounded only by nature, animals, and rocks, and breathing in the pure air. It's as close as you can get to feeling free.

Everything was all fun and games until we heard those magical words… we had to keep going, and it was up there.

The path they pointed out was even worse than the one we had already traversed. We’d naively believed it would get easier after that. How wrong we were...

Now, our legs weren’t responding the same way. We had one less sandwich's weight in our backpacks, but our stomachs weighed us down.

Alright.

We kept going, and at that moment, something I love started to happen. I call it the magic of the group.

We were a mix of excitement, fatigue, and motivation, and we were all aware of one fact: we all had the same goal, and we either all made it, or none of us did.

Adrenaline did its job.

"Swap backpacks with me; mine’s not heavy," said one guy carrying more weight than a mule.

The guy who forgot his water, the one from the beginning, started to get cramps. As I told you, he didn't have the best day. Another guy who knew the route told us to keep going, and that they would go at their own pace.

A girl had some shoulder pain from her backpack, and the guide adjusted her straps, which made a huge difference.

Another girl realized she had brought a sleeping bag that wasn't suitable for the temperatures, so another person offered her a thermal blanket that they weren't going to use.

And so on...

In the midst of the mountains, where we all had only the essentials, it turned out that one person always had what someone else was missing, and everything had a solution. Together, we managed to be comfortable and reach the summit.

While standing there, I thought about how sometimes we want to do everything on our own.

Sometimes we're afraid to climb a peak because we don't know how to do it or what we need to achieve it. We don't know how to ask for help.

Many, many times, we make life more complicated for ourselves and carry more weight than necessary. Most of the time, we abandon just before reaching the goal because, yes, things get tough, and sometimes, when you think it is over, it gets even tougher just before the finish line.

But two things are very true. The first is one that every book and every guru into how to reach success knows, it is that if you persevere, you'll get there.

The second is that if you realize you don't have to do it all alone, you'll get there faster and better.

Just ask the guy who forgot his water...

The fact is, we persevered and helped each other, we understood that we all were one team, and that night, after a game of Scattergories at the mountain refuge, we enjoyed some amazing lentils.

The route the next day was even tougher, but it was worth it. As the guy without water said, "I'll come back well-prepared next time". No comparisons, no complaints, just an I will get ready for the next one.

Mountain, we'll be back very soon.

So, for adventurers and entrepreneurs, who are basically one and the same, I'll see you next week. Or not. I'm juggling many things, but if you're subscribed to my list, you'll be the first to know when I publish.

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