I’m often able to take a weekday or part of a weekday and go to the beach or go hiking or visit a friend or whatever. This week I went hiking with a friend. We left at 6:00 a.m. and got to the trailhead of Dog Mountain in the Columbia Rivier Gorge on the Washington side of the river, at 7:00 a.m.
Dog Mountain is a very popular trail. It’s a pretty tough 4-mile climb up the side of the mountain and gains about 3000 feet of elevation. I’m a slow-and-steady hiker and it takes me a good 2 1/2 hours to get to the top, and another 2 hours to get down via the alternate trail. I love the challenge.
No matter how many times I hike this trail, I forget how steep the first part is. I mean, really steep right from the get-go. I’m breathing hard straight away. It would be easy to say “screw this, I’m giving up.” But I never do. I just put one foot in front of the other, take a break once in a while, use all my mental tricks to override the part of me that wants to sabotage the journey.
My brain puts up the same kind of resistance in my business and my life. “What do you think you’re doing?” says my inner resistance. “You should just give up!” “Go make a cup of tea,” it will tell me. “Take a break.” “This is just too hard. ”Or the really nasty voice says “You will never get where you want to go,” or “It’s too late for you.”
After climbing about 30 minutes up Dog Mountain Trail, you come to a fork in the trail, at which there is a choice to make. Both choices lead to the top of Dog Mountain. There is a sign posted on a tree – an official trail-type marker. In previous years the sign read “Less Difficult” with an arrow up to the right, and “More Difficult” with an arrow up to the left. But recently, a new sign was posted that reads “Difficult” with the arrow up to the right, and “More Difficult” with the arrow up to the left. There is no BS “Less Difficult” about it.
What if life has been offering me those same options on a regular basis. And what if I could approach my life and my business in the same manner I approach the trail? I mean, difficult or more difficult, hiking is so freaking satisfying! At Dog Mountain, the reward for the challenge is the view from the top.
In life and in business, my rewards, when I choose to stick with them, are the satisfaction of growing – mentally, spiritually, emotionally, professionally, personally. The view as I reflect on my past life and challenges, is amazing!
WHY, you may wonder, would anyone choose to hike 4 steep miles up the side of a mountain? Hiking isn’t for everyone, I realize that. But it’s one of my favorite things. I will hike in the middle of winter, in the middle of summer, and any day in between. I will hike with a friend or hike alone. When I travel, I often like to take a hike where I’m visiting. I’ve hiked in Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs, the Olympic Peninsula, Sonoma County, Honolulu, Kauai, Tahiti, Mexico, France, Ireland. Even in New York, I like to walk The High Line. Not exactly hiking, but not riding in a vehicle, either.
WHY would anyone choose the “More Difficult” trail at Dog Mountain? Well, we chose the More Difficult trail. And it’s not the first time I’ve hiked that way. The most noticeable thing about the More Difficult trail is that it is way less populated. Just like life. The other thing is that it is, well, more difficult. And I like to challenge myself physically. I love the meditative state that comes from being so winded that you can’t talk. It really puts me in a flow state. I’m thinking only about the steps I’m currently taking, not about what I have to do at home, or emails or text messages, or anything else.
But either way, when I come out of the trees and onto the alpine trail, the view is stunning! Just like life.
Sure, the Colombia River is visible from down on the highway and is quite breathtaking from that angle. But from 3000 feet up, the views are really unbelievable. Across the river, and peeking out from the top of the Oregon side of the gorge, is the top of Mt. Hood. This view can’t be seen from ground level. Mt. St. Helens is also visible from the top of Dog Mountain. Sure, you can see those mountains from Portland. But not eye-to-eye like you can from Dog.
Life is like that – you can get a view from the street-level of life, but the views from higher up are worth the climb.
