Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Climb Mt. Si

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Go Hiking – Climb Mt. Si

When you go hiking you need to find a mountain to climb. Everyone has a favorite mountain, right? I suppose it is not a given that you live close to mountains. Still, you maybe you know someone who does and can inspire them to go hiking.

Mt. Si is one of the most popular places to go hiking in the Cascades. Thousands of people climb it every year. The elevation is 4,167 ft. That is including “Haystack,” a rock that requires a little more than a scramble, especially the last 20 feet. If you are a rock climber it is nothing, but if not you will be challenged.

Planning To Go Hiking

Anytime you go hiking you need to plan. Everyone says you need the 10 essentials. Yes, be prepared. Just remember when it comes to deciding what to bring, “two is one and one is none.” However, the biggest consideration when hiking Mt Si is the time. Because of the crowds you need to go very early in the morning. Maybe not as early as myself. I am a little extreme. Typically I head up the trail at 4:00 AM.

The main thing to remember is that now there is no parking on the country road so you need to get there early enough to find a place to park. There is now a shuttle that takes hikers to the mountain from Seattle so if you like that idea go for it. Personally, I can’t imagine anything worse. It does mean more people on the mountain and one more reason to go early.

Go Hiking And Exercise

Now I suppose you could just take a “nature walk” but don’t tell anyone that you are going to go hiking! When you go hiking you push yourself. Get the legs and lungs burning. That brings me to rule number one – no rest stops! Keep going. That way the mosquitoes can’t catch you and you will get some real health benefit from the hike.

Rule number two is carry some weight. Now, I don’t have too much against trail runners with their cute, tiny little “pouches” they strap on their back. However, those folks are running. If you are not going to carry any weight the you must run. So how much weight should you carry? Twenty pounds in minimum. If you are training for a major summit climb then 35 to 40 pounds is good with an occasional 50 pounds.

Mt.Si is a great training ground for those planning to summit Rainier. So go hiking!

Bookish Weapon Number One

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Let’s look at three powerful statements that taken together are one Bookish Weapon. But first, bookish weapons are everywhere because books are readily available especially in the area of self-help. Today’s bookish weapon is from “The Resilience Factor,” by Karen Reivich, PH.D. and Andrew Shatte, PH.D. This book really helped me train my mind.

The Resilience Factor, review by Bill Montgomery

The Resilience Factor, review by Bill Montgomery

Do you know your ABCs?

They are the basics for handling adversity. You could say this is the ground zero bookish weapon. The A stands for adversity. That one is pretty easy. What about B & C? First (or I guess it is second) take C. C is for consequences, feelings, and behavior.

Most often when adversity happens we feel something, do something, or both. Stimulus – response. Pavlov’s dog, right? Often we get wrapped up in the consequences without even realizing how we got there. It is much more complicated than that and we can have much more control over our feelings and behavior. That brings us to the B in ABC.

“B” stands for Beliefs

This is what you believe about the adversity. Let’s say you get a flat tire in the morning on the way to work. Is it an inconvenience or is it going to ruin your whole day? Well, if you have a belief that the beginning of a day sets the tone for the whole day, then maybe it will ruin your day. Remember, your beliefs determine your consequences, feelings, and behavior.

The authors do point out that sometimes, like when a bear is about to attack you, or your pet gets run over by a car. The emotions are triggered by the event and not beliefs.

Use this knowledge to identify beliefs and help you clarify what happened. Discover the belief that triggered your emotion. Now, challenge it.

Bookish Weapons

Relvich and Shatte give you three statements that help you be resilient in real time:

A more accurate way of seeing this is…
That’s not true because…
A more likely outcome is…and I can…

As I mentioned these three statements are a Bookish Weapon themselves. They are powerful and force you to think through the situation and my favorite part of the book.

There are also what they call Iceberg Beliefs. I think Tony Robbins would call them Global Beliefs like “Life is a struggle.” They can support you or not. The question to ask is, “What is this belief costing me?

Stay on offense!

Stay On Offense! Go Hiking!

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Hiking is the Center of My Universe

This admonition comes from a place of extreme prejudice. In many ways, hiking is the center of my universe. Certainly for seven months of the year. So even if there were negatives associated with this activity, I would reject them immediately. So in this inaugural post, I will outline some excellent reasons to do what I say TO STAY ON OFFENSE and GO HIKING!

Go HikingFirst, it is a strong example of staying on offense. When you climb mountains you are moving forward with the effort. Any kind of movement is good for us, but moving uphill on uneven ground taxes the body in such a way that it builds resilience. Like any form of exercise, you need to do it regularly. During my seven months “season” I climb a mountain every week (that doesn’t mean I skip my other training at the gym). Usually, after the first three weeks of the season, my body adjusts.

Are You in Your Twenties?

If you are in your twenties you might ask why it takes me so long to “adjust.” However, I am in my seventies and it just does. If you are in your seventies or younger you need to know that your body can adjust. You have bad knees (so do I). Bad back? (so do I).

Do the mobility work at the gym so you can get up the mountain on the weekend.

Second, you are doing something for your soul. How often are you alone with your creator? Where it is so quiet you can hear your heart beating? When I am on a mountain I feel my God surrounding me. Try it!

Third, it is a relatively inexpensive activity. For some of you, this is important. It is much less expensive than flying, skiing or golf. You might spend some money for gas to get to the mountain and a little more for the state or national forest passes. Then some basic gear. But once you have those in place you are good to go unless of course, you decide to take on the Seven Summits. That is a whole other thing.

Fourth, it impacts your health. More and more evidence points to the importance of immersing yourself in nature. Look at what the state of New York says about it:

Health Benefits From Forests boosts the immune system. lowers blood pressure. reduces stress. improves mood. increases ability to focus, even in children with ADHD. accelerates recovery from surgery or illness. increases energy level. improves sleep.

Let me give you a personal example of this.

For many years I suffered from something called Ocular Migraines. They are different than regular migraines in that your vision blurs for twenty minutes or so before you get the headache. Then I went to Alaska and spent a week floating down the Tatshenshini river from Dalton Post in the Yukon to Dry Bay in Alaska. Yes, we hiked a lot as well. When I got back in no Ocular Migraines and none since. That was about twelve years ago.

STAY ON OFFENSE. GO HIKING!