I don’t have much stomach for exploiting tragedies … the 11 mountaineers who perished on K2 were not hikers (and might’ve slapped anybody who called them such) … so I have a plausible excuse for not adding my voice to the peanut gallery of second-guessers (see the comments on this New York Times blog post to see what I mean).
The running theme among indoor adventurers is that mountaineers take insane risks and should not be seen as heroes because humanity at large doesn’t benefit from their exploits. Apparently they’ve never experienced the rush of reaching a summit, or seen the view available only to those who can get up there. Or they’ve never experienced a mountain’s specific gravity, its uncanny ability to draw people closer and urge them to the top.
I’ve never strapped on crampons or climbed on fixed ropes. There was a gravel road to the highest summit I’ve ever stood upon. I doubt that I’ll ever get to the top of Half Dome in my lifetime; I’ve had dreams that I was hiking in the Himalayas, but I don’t expect to make it up that far in my waking travels.
Nevertheless, I know how a hill gets inside you. When I started hiking seriously, I was at the top of Mission Peak — the only excuse for a mountain in my immediate orbit — within weeks. Years before it had tempted me, but I didn’t have the heart, much less the legs, to act on the temptation.
Mission is a puny peak with a mere 2K of elevation gain over 2.6 miles. But it might as well have been Everest when I was 40, flabby and unfit to walk up it. Once I started getting into shape, I had to know if I could get up there.
Though I’ll never be a much of a mountaineer, I think I understand what drives hard-core climbers to reach the highest heights: an unquenchable urge to know if they can make it to the top. And if they’ve done it once, they have to do it again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. And after that, well, hey, surviving the first few climbs makes the next ones just a bit easier to actually enjoy.
Your never the same person after you’ve proved the hill can be climbed. As long as people can experience that transformation, they’ll keep taking crazy risks at altitudes best experienced in a Boeing 767. A few will die trying.
The best we can do is lend comfort to the grieving when things go wrong; the worst we can do is belittle the efforts of people who manifest a distinct (though admittedly extreme) manifestation of human nature. Our explorations and adventures help us overcome our fears and outsmart our rivals.
People will never stop finding mountains to climb. Nor will they stop climbing them.
Hey, I am that out of shape 40 year old. I’d say flabby, but I’d have to lose some weight to get there. Sentinel Peak at Camp Whitsett in the Sierras just beat me last week. I made it halfway, but had to come back down to join my Boy Scout troop. Blisters sidelined me a few days later when I wanted to try again.
I understand that need to overcome a challenge. It’s easiest to visualize your goal when it’s a big mountain. I can still hear the it mocking me and I know it’s only a matter of time before I have to go back and try again. That drive to succeed in the face of seemingly impossible odds is what makes great achievements possible.
I’ll never attempt a mountain like K2, but I can understand why others do.
“…You’re never the same person after you’ve proved the hill can be climbed.”
That kinda says it all. A summit, almost any summit, can change a life. And those who lose their lives trying probably would try again if given the chance. Those who work so hard to diminish the efforts of those doing just that thing they’re driven to do probably do so only before or after episodes of “America’s Got Talent” or “American Idol.” You can bet you’d never talk to them en route to a mountain top.
Good post, Tom.
Thanks, Bob.
From a hiker’s perspective I don’t necessarily think hill-climbing is the best choice: you spend half your time going up and the other half going down … the binary nature of the experience takes some of the pleasure out of it.
Of course climbing an 8,000 meter monster is not exactly a peak-bagging outing.
I don’t even see mountain climbing as entirely necessary … I just recognize there are people who do, and that go-for-it spirit is what makes us people and not, say, mountain gorillas.
I’ve hiked quite a few 4,000 foot mountains in this neck of the woods. All that time going up and down the mountains isn’t exactly wasted. You do have experiences and sights that are hard to beat. Plus when you reach the summit – heck, even just reaching tree line – you are seeing something that very few people ever will. Especially in the winter.
And don’t get me started on the risk. There’s more than can be captured in a comment. But I believe we all take risks everyday but we do our best to mitigate them. Climbing a mountain is like driving on the highway. We make it safer by slowing down and wearing seat belts. I make hiking safer by being prepared and knowing my limits.
Nicely said!
Outstanding comment!
I agree with Carl — the peak is special, but if you ignore the rest of the mountain, you are missing out. The same thing holds for hiking to a lake or any destination.
Many years ago in the Pecos Wilderness, my dad and I were on the first day of our first long backpacking trip, and when we ran into another hiker, we asked how far it was to Beatty’s Cabin, our stopping point. He told us, but added that he didn’t worry much about “how far”, because he came to the wilderness and figured he was already there. That has been my philosophy ever since.
For me a hike has always been more of a journey than a destination. Sometimes I set goals, and sometimes push myself for attainment. But overall it has to be about the experience of it. The inspiration and enrichment are the best benefits.
Obviously different individuals have different ideas about what constitutes acceptable, or tolerable risk. All others are better off to stay home. And obviously you need certain skills to do an ourdoor sport safely. I always have to laugh when armchair experts think that outdoor sports are too dangerous, when any one of them is statistically far safer than driving a car on the freeway. Something most armchair people do regularly.
Tom,
Why do you say yo will never hike Half Dome? 50,000 a year now do it and you should to0. OK, it’s crowded on weekends…so go mid-week or after Labor Day. The views of Vernal and Nevada Falls, Little Yosemite Valley, the rock itself up close and the views from the top are not to be missed. Forget the “bagging it” angle. Just enjoy it for what it is.
Humans need goals. Without we are ust rafting down the river of life. By picking HD, you are setting sights on a hard, but attainable goal. Just the preparation will keep you in shape. It’s amazing what we can do with desire, education and will power. Go for it!
BTW, you got a supportive comment in Sunday’s Merc Travel for your great hike guides.
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Rick Deutsch -Mr. Half Dome
Author: “One Best Hike: Yosemite’s Half Dome”
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com