You won't know, unless you go.

This weekend I went on a death march (hike) up the Park City Ridge Line to check out some of the lines we ski in the winter.?

As anticipated, the landscape looks a whole lot different devoid of 600+ inches of snow. Steeper, a lot scarier, and full of obstacles that make you say “holy sh*t, we skied right over that?”

It was really cool to walk my favorite touring routes and see them in a completely different light/season. As I mentioned - 600+ inches of snow really changes the landscape.

The experience was quite surreal.

I'll drop some photos below to give you an idea:

The view? Incredible - regardless of the season.

The journey up there on the other hand? Rough.

It’s what we call in the industry a “slog” - the industry being people who are out of shape/underprepared but still agree to perform long physically exerting tasks with people who are in shape / are prepared.

We dodged mountain bikers, an endless sea of bugs, and a mother moose with her fresh calve on the way up.

I’m sure at this point you’re probably anticipating me writing about the journey vs the destination or something about the process of getting somewhere through sacrifice, or something like that.

Well, I'm not!

I'm writing about experience. Experience through choice.

The choice to go.

It turns out the saying “You won’t know, unless you go” (something I've said/believed for years) isn’t actually a saying at all (I may have made it up) because when I googled it just now to help me write this blog.. Exactly zero results came up.?

I've never admitted it publicly, but I also thought it was "Play it by year" for about 26 years of my life.. you know... take it slow..

So take that how you want to.

Anyway - I digress.

Without the help of the internet, and with limited computing power (my brain) it’s hard to provide you all with a solid definition for my made-up saying.?

But really what it means (to me) is that without taking the action to be somewhere, or see something, you can never truly experience how something "Is"

Whether that something is good OR bad.

This is true for human experiences across the board. Parties, Ski Days, Fishing Trips, whatever it is .. you won’t know, you don’t know, you can’t know,?unless you go.?

Yes, you can text friends and get the recap. Or you can view instagram stories that are embellished, but you can’t truly know, unless you go.

My dad, purposeful or not, instilled this in me when I was little in a funny way - every fall during the striper run.?

My dad and I fished a ton growing up - most times before school. (I'm growing increasingly thankful every day for the childhood I had) We rarely ever kept fish. No matter how big, the policy was generally just to snap a photo, and send them back on their way.

When I was little my dad would come into my room to wake me up, and some mornings (middle of the night) I would give him the “No I’m too tired” bit and I would roll back over and go back to sleep.

On those days (when I couldn't get my a** out of bed), it always seemed like he would bring a huge striper home with him.

That huge fish was always paired with a “shoulda been there” type story.?

At least, that's how I remember it.

Whether he was trying to teach me something or not, I always remember going to school on those days sour, thinking, "Wow, was that extra hour of sleep really worth missing out?"

Fast forward 15 years, this same concept has now become an ongoing joke in my friend group with skiing - it seems every time someone can’t make it on a tour, play hooky from work, or just wants an extra few hours of sleep, those are always the “best days ever.”?

Embellished or not, it makes you think twice.

But, as most things I write about - it's a two-way street.

Sometimes you do get up early, and the fish don’t bite, or the weather doesn’t clear.

Or that party that was completely hyped up turns out to be a complete drag.

Again, still - you won’t know, unless you go.?

Over the last few years, I've noticed that our phones have created such an ever-interconnected social world. (pretty basic sh*t, I know)

That even if you’re not somewhere, or doing something, with today's technology it can still feel like you're there, or a part of it.

You can instantly tune into photos, videos, Instagram stories, streams, and more.?

It seems like we're starting to confuse viewing & following - with doing.

No matter how many videos/posts you consume - you’re still not actually out there, are you? ?

Experiencing something through an intermediate lens isn't experiencing at all, is it?

You’re not standing on top of the mountain, miles out to sea on a boat, or having a good time with your pals, are you?

Why not?

Well, I think people today are more prone to look for guarantees.

A guarantee the snow will be good, or the party will be sick, or the fish will bite, before going.

You know - the people who let others go to the party first and then send the "How is it?" text - or get the snow report from their buddies who got up early to go get the freshies beofre putting their gear on.

Regardless of what it is, there's just something to be said about being the one who is out there doing it.

I guess if you're going to be on your phone it's better to be the one posting, than consuming, right?

At least you're out there experiencing something.

It's okay to take that photo or post the story of that wicked sunrise - you're the one who got up at 5 AM for the hike to go see it.

Who knows- it could have been cloudy. You could have been S.O.L.

Your experiences may be good, or they may be bad, but you won't know - unless you go.

So summon the courage to be the one who is out there - because it's the only true way to experience things.

You can't have FOMO, if you go.