My top 3 hardest mountain climbs, and the courage these climbs gave me to move personal mountains in life

Yesterday I had lunch with my friend, Bruce Kasanoff .

Follow his content; he is a very thought-provoking man and writer.

We talked about life, the hard things we do, and why we do them.?

This got me thinking..

I climb a lot of mountains.

But I rarely think about how hard these climbs will be.

I just DO THEM. Instead of stepping into fear, I go straight to the learning and growing that will happen on the other side of the fear and hard.

NOTE: this is my hack on turning fear into excitement.

So, I came home after the enlightening lunch conversation with Bruce, and I wrote a post on LinkedIn. I shared why I climb mountains alone in the dark, and what I learn through this process.

You all loved that post!

Didn’t see it? Catch it here .

As a follow-up to that post, I thought that I'd share a bit more in my newsletter.?

Here are my top three hardest mountain climbs, and what personal mountains I moved in life afterwards.

Ready?

#1: Sequoia National Park, Labor Day weekend, 2014

The hike itself was difficult but more grueling was the secret that I was carrying while climbing to Pear Lake. My marriage was at a turning point because of betrayals. Life was hard... Ok, it sucked, and I didn’t know what I was going to do!

I was on a day hike with friends. One friend kept dropping big rocks into my pack when I would set it down. I never realized the extra weight I was carrying until I dug in for a sandwich or snack. Every time he snuck those in, unbeknownst to me. And then I’d pick them out, a tad annoyed, and we’d laugh.

Carrying those rocks became one of my greatest lessons. It was standing on this ledge (see pic above) that I looked at the beauty before me and realized the extra weight I had been carrying in life. I couldn’t fix what happened in my marriage, but I could find freedom on the other side of the hard. It was time that I set down what I was carrying and take lighter steps for me.

This hard climb gave me the courage to end my marriage. It provided faith that I would be fine on the other side of the hard. I didn’t need to know the answers. What I did know was that life would be far easier carrying what I chose rather than carrying what wasn’t mine to hold.

#2: John Muir Trail, 2020

I was on this 211-mile trail for 22 days carrying everything that I needed to survive. We stopped three times to resupply food in those 22 days, but everything else was carried in my pack on my back.

My manuscript for my book was complete. This through-hike from Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mt. Whitney at 14,508 ft was a celebration and culmination of my hard work in life.

What I didn’t expect was how hard the first three days would be. It was climbing out of Tuolumne Meadows that I silently cried. Tears falling from my eyes, I wondered if I had gotten myself into something bigger than I could take on.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to quit. I wanted it all to end. Trying to grasp onto any strength I could muster, I reached deep into my heart and soul and found nothing. I had nothing left. There was trepidation with every step. How the hell would I do this for another 19 days? How? My back hurt from the 48 pounds of weight in my pack. Muscles seething down my spine. I had never experienced anything quite like this.

We passed by several people who were also starting out on the John Muir Trail. They, too, were in pain. Some were thinking of stopping, and some did. I wondered if it was more courageous to stop than it was to keep going.?

And then it happened.

Hiking up a mountain pass, we passed by a couple of guys who were coming down and finishing the John Muir Trail from the opposite direction. One could tell that I was in a lot of pain. I told them how bad my back hurt. They asked if they could fix my pack because it didn’t look quite right. A few pulls here, and a few tugs there, tightening and loosening straps to conform to my back, and suddenly everything changed.?My back didn't hurt nearly as bad.

I learned vital lessons that have helped me in life.?

The first few days of anything new can be challenging, hard, and overwhelming. You have to keep going. Everything that you have been through has prepared you for what is next. And, along the way, sometimes all that you need is to stop and make a few minor alterations that will shift everything.

On day 22, waking to the most incredible sunrise on Mt. Whitney, I thought about how I almost stopped on day three.

Can you imagine what I would have missed out on? This is what I hold onto in my hardest moments when I wonder if I have it in me. The obstacle is always the way.

#3: Snow Tongue Pass on the Sierra High Route, 2022

The Sierra High Route is known as the most challenging and difficult route in North America. In fact, there is no trail. Instead, you navigate 195 miles through the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains using only waypoints and your best judgment while carrying 40 pounds on your back.?

It’s hard.

It’s dangerous.

And.. It’s amazing.

My group and I are section hiking this route over the next three years. Section one was completed in 2022, the other sections will be completed in 2023 and 2024.?

It was day two of being off trail when we came upon Snow Tongue Pass, the hardest and most wild pass to cross on the route. Thunderstorms delayed our trek until the next day, so we camped under the pass and took off in the morning.

It was grueling going up the back side. And then coming up to the peak, I was in awe. It was straight down. How were we going to do this? We had taken notes on how others have done this in the past, which for the record, is only several hundred people recorded.

Once we established a route that we felt comfortable with, we started down inch by inch. This took so much time, but honestly, there was also no time to be thought about. It was about carefully moving forward and not expending the energy that you needed to get you through: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.?

It was on the side of this pass, as I took a breath and looked out, that I experienced an important moment in my life. I realized, “Holy shit.. Look at where I am!” It was this realization that sure, I was in danger, but I didn’t feel at all endangered. It was a feeling of awe, grace, wonder, and amazement at how far that I have come in life. For the first time in my life, I embraced my badass side. I embodied how awesome it is to push your limits, because it then gives you courage and bravery to push limits in other areas of your life, too.

This, right here, is why it’s important to step outside of your comfort zone time and time again.

Because you will never understand or know what you are capable of if you don’t.?

What are you missing out on by not putting yourself out there? That is always my question.

And that is why I stepped into speaking in 2023.

Because I've climbed many mountains in my life. Yes, actual mountains. And mountains of setbacks, challenges, and trauma in my personal and professional life.

I've led hundreds of clients through the Grand Canyon, Alaska, and the San Juan Mountains on life-changing retreats.

And from here on out, all that I want to do is serve this message of The (New) Art of Resilience from stage, too.

Though I will always run retreats, speaking serves a greater number of people.

And it's time for a greater number of people to see what they are capable of, too. Yes, we can find strength on the other side of our obstacles. We just need to be willing to step in.

Let's go!

Are you looking for an inspiring and motivating speaker on resilience? Message me and lets create!

Ring my bell in my LinkedIn profile for daily motivation and learning.

Grab my book, Walk Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness . ??????????’s on Amazon!

Hit reply and give me your thoughts on this week's newsletter.?

And please, forward this to anyone who you think could use it.

As always.. Keep climbing, my friends.

I believe in you / us.. and I always will.

xo

Sara