7 lessons from a man who reached the top of the Himalayas

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The American blogger shares seven lessons he learned from his solo trip to the top of the Himalayas.

Is it possible to endure any life lessons by climbing to the top of the Himalayas? It turns out, yes. American blogger Pete R walked alone from the foot to the peak of the Himalayan mountains.

For eight hours a day, seven days in a row, overcoming physical and moral limits, he climbed to the top. And that's what he understood.

Moving forward is the only logical path

The way to the top of the mountain is not climbing up, but constant ascents and descents. When you are halfway between the next camp and the previous one, you understand that you cannot go back, no matter how tired you are and no matter how much you want to. In order to grow as a person, you need to constantly move forward, no matter how fast.

Walking backward or standing still is unacceptable. This means that you are wasting your life. When climbing a mountain, you can't just pick up and stop. Unless, of course, you want to attract wildlife or freeze at night. Even moving very slowly, you are still getting closer to your goal. Just like in life.

Optimism is the key to success

The mountain route consists of many stops and zigzags between the mountains. I tricked my brain into proving to myself that I would stop at the next parking lot, even though it often wasn't. But I was helped by the thought that the break was already near and there was very little left to go. If you prove to yourself that something nice or good is already around, you can more easily achieve your goals.

No matter how fast you move, you will still make it to the end

Climbing a mountain (no matter how fast), you go. Sooner or later, everyone reaches the top anyway. I was very slow, nevertheless the mountain submitted to me anyway. Trying to listen to my body, I took breaks as soon as I realized that I could no longer go up. Climbing a mountain, like life, is a marathon, not a sprint. If you know that you are moving towards a goal, it no longer matters to you at what speed you are doing it.

The worst day is yet to come

On the first day of my mountain trip, it rained heavily, and in order to continue moving, I had to walk through mud and streams of water under a piercing wind. I thought that nothing would be worse than this day. On the third day, I had to climb a thousand steps to the top of the pass, only to then go down again to cross the bridge. On the fourth day, I climbed to an altitude of 3000 meters and could not breathe due to lack of oxygen. The path, which was supposed to take two hours, I walked in four.

Life is very similar to the same ascent. The day you thought was the worst turns out to be just a warm-up. There is only one solution: not to wait for a good or bad day, but to deal with misfortunes or unexpected luck as they come. Don't worry about tomorrow's problems.

There is no quick success

Most tourists climbing to the top, from the first day, begin to look out for gorgeous views with mountains on the horizon. However, in order to reach them, you have to wade through the impenetrable forest for the first few days. Only after passing through the forest in 32 hours, you begin to see gorgeous mountains on the horizon.

When setting a goal for yourself in life, you should not hope that you will be able to achieve it instantly. You have to wait and act, and if you do everything right, then everything will work out.

Achieving Something Outstanding Is Not Easy

Many friends asked why I decided to go to the Himalayas. Indeed, why? After all, photos from every point of the mountain can be viewed directly in Google Maps. For them, the only pleasure was at the very end of the path; for me, the path itself was something incredible. Without communicating with other climbers on the road, without countless accidents, without hard ascents, this journey would mean nothing to me.

It's the same in life: the money received from the parents is valued much less than the money earned by one's own labor. The harder you try, the more important and valuable the reward will be.

You need people you can trust

I have been traveling alone for a long time and, despite this, I often communicate with travelers and establish relationships with them. Climbing the mountain teaches you to trust the people around you, as your life depends on them. The best thing you can give to those around you is the ability to trust you.

Traveling to the top of the Himalayas has changed my life. I have understood many things that would seem trivial to others. For example, how vulnerable we are. I also realized that many problems are not worth the emotion that we give them. And the most important reward for me was the achievement of my goal - the top of the mountain.

Have you had any events that changed your life forever? Tell us!