The Mountain

So often that spirit within us gets buried underneath the fluff of life, whether it's status, possessions, jobs or money. But i believe that all such things leave us empty, and it is not until we shake off those ties and allow ourselves to breathe and strive and listen to that voice within that says "why not?" instead of "why?" that we come alive!

Climbing mountains is all about poise and balance, not about brute strength. Mountain climbing is all about understanding the terrain, looking for the smallest lines of weakness hidden among the sheer vertiginous cliff in front of you. It is this kind of weakness that will show you a way up the face.

When you find it and overcome it and roll over the edge onto the top, heaving for breath, that moment is too hard to beat. Why? Because in achieving that goal we are fulfilling our potential.


“People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.'There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron... If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.”

- George Mallory, Climbing Everest: The Complete Writings of George Mallory

Today, mountains are regarded as places of great strength, beauty, wonderment and God-filled power. Man's quest for knowledge and experience, coupled with a very natural desire for freedom and expression, has opened a whole new world to those who are bold enough to step into their shadows. Mountains cannot be conquered or tamed, The real conquest is in overcoming the fears inside us. Mountain climbing can inspire  great courage, humility and strength in us. And that is what gives mountains their true appeal.