Lessons from Mont Blanc

I picked up trekking 12 months ago. I responded to a message a friend sent asking if anyone wanted to be his roommate to trek Mont Blanc. Without figuring out what that entailed, I responded and started training to prepare for the adventure. Months later, on August 2019, we completed our 8 days trek across Mont Blanc, crossing three countries, going up altitudes nearly 3000 feet and covered over 120 kilometres of terrain on foot.

On the anniversary of my newfound interest, I thought I share some personal observations.

One step at a time

My son was eight when he uttered “journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step”. I cannot remember the context of his wise words but I do recall being amused hearing those words from the tiny frame. I guess everyone would appreciate the logic of this sentence but living it wasn’t so easy at Mont Blanc.

When we first started planning for the Mont Blanc trek, there was an unstated trepidation of the terrain and distance to be covered. Mind you we are a bunch of oldies ranging from 50s to 70s! We stuck to a diligent weekly training commitment and prepared ourselves as much as we think we should. When we started the actual trek, our day commenced around 8 in the morning and ended mostly in the late evening. Each morning, it hung on everyone’s mind if they want to skip the trek for that day just because yesterday was very tiring, the journey ahead was unknown and there was always the easy option of hopping onto a taxi to the next town instead. 

I am proud to report that none in the group ever took the easy route except those that were genuinely injured. The decision to put on the trekking gear and take that first step the next day after a gruesome trek the previous was a tough one. However, we signed up for an adventure and none of us were ready to bail out on one.

Isn’t life in general the same? We hit tough times, face retrenchment, difficult deadlines, long drawn assignments, bad relationships and a bunch of other lemons but if we stay focused on the end goal and the reason why we need to overcome these challenges, then isn’t these challenges just about breaking up an arduous “journey” and taking that first step, then the next and then some?

Everyone needs someone

Sounds like a line in some sappy soap drama or song but humans were never meant to be alone. We were a group of oldies, some faster, some slower, some jovial, some quiet, some philosophical, some crazy (me) but we were a real team! We even had our own travelling chef, cooking instant noodles in the highlands that never tasted so good before. Least you think we led a charmed life and everything fell in place for the journey of a life time, we did have our fair share of challenges throughout the trek.

One of the mornings we woke up to a slight drizzle but we expected that based on the weather forecast that we have been monitoring. What we were not prepared for was that it got heavy and a bridge was washed away so we could not get across a ferocious river. It was like one of those leadership assessment centres where we were presented with a scenario and we have to come up with a solution except that this was real: the river was wide, the water flow was rapid and the depth unknown, you have 12 oldies with no ropes nor additional equipment, you have to get all safely across and mind the clock. So there we were, throwing stones to form steps and testing depth, hand in hand forming a human chain, we all crossed safely but all completely soaked. Over a warm dinner that night, we laughed and shared excitedly about the test we just passed. 

Imagine if I was alone standing in front of that river, the outcome will certainly be very different. In life, these rivers come in so many forms but you can choose not to overcome it alone. Trust me, life is more fun facing challenges with a team of friends, family or colleagues!

Savour the journey

Mont Blanc is such a majestic creation. Snow capped mountains, valleys, rivers, diversity of birds and animals, vegetation, you name it. In our struggle to complete the trek, we could easily have focused on our footing and missed out on the beauty of nature in front of us. However our trek was planned with breaks, cook outs, coffee in huts, conversations and tons of picture moments.

On one of our trekking days, it was raining heavily and we lost our way. We took a wrong route and extended our trek by a lot that day. We still took a lot of pictures and thought that we saw more than we had planned!

As we busy ourselves with life, we lose the awareness and sensitivity of things and people around us. When things go wrong and we have to “start again” we get so devastated. Life is as interesting as you want to make of it, each step or re-step, can be a plethora of sensory feedback if you allow yourself to observe and ruminate.

So what’s my take away from my trekking journey or life journey in general? If it is something worth doing, take that first step and get started. This journey is more fun with like minded people and whatever happens, enjoy the adventure of life!