Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Bookish Weapon Number Seventy-Two

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Undisclosed is a novel by Steve Alten described on the back cover as “fraction,” instead of fiction. That is because it is all about UFOs or what they now call UAPs. It was a fun read. I normally would not discuss a novel here, but thought this might be fun considering my hiking adventure in August.

According to this book they have been reverse engineering the UAPs for some time and it is just a great big conspiracy.

50 years

Towards the beginning of the book it is discussing a congressional testimony and says, “These objects have landed on terra firma; some have been disabled and retrieved by teams within the United States. Extraterrestrial life forms have been retrieved and their vehicles have been taken and studied thoroughly for the last 50 years.”

That sounds to me almost like recent real live congressional hearings o the subject.

Subterranean Complex

One of the characters in the book finds herself at a secret location where they keep the UAPs or at least one. They all use “hoverboards” to get around. People are cleared or not for something called “Cosmic Clearance.” They get to see the good stuff.

Do you think all UFOs are drones? In this book they call them ARVs and they are “ours.” Maybe reverse engineered.

This is a novel of course so the plot continues to take you on a little Sci Fi trip. It even imagines a future where we are just one big happy family.

Go Hiking But Have A Plan B

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As I write this I am wearing a leg brace. This last Tuesday I had knee surgery. Hiking starts in March and I think I should be good to go by then, but if for some reason I am not then I will need a Plan B.

If you can afford it get Stem Cell therapy or at least investigate before you do what I did. It is my understanding you can get Stem Cell therapy for about $6,000 a knee. Insurance does not pay for it so that was not an option for me.

No Hike. Then What?

If the result of this knee surgery means hiking is in my rear window it’s ok. I know I will be able to walk because I can do that even with the leg brace. But there is no way to tell at this point. My first option would be to do what I did when they closed the trails during the Pandemic shut down. Walk. A lot.

However, this experience got me thinking what if I could really barely walk or something else happened to me physically. I mean what could possibly happen physically to an almost eighty year old man? What would I do? Well, I play guitar so I would play guitar. I write. So I would write more. I like to read so I would read more. That would be my Plan B.

Trust and Belief

The thing is I don’t want to have to use Plan B. I want to hike starting March 2023. Lots of people say they are going to go with me up some of these mountains and I don’t want to disappoint them.

Recently, I heard a motivational speaker say that one of the important things you need when facing any adversity is trust and belief. Trust that it will all work out for the best and belief that it will. That is what I am counting on. But you don’t have to wait for me to get better. Go hiking!

Bookish Weapon Number 69

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Cameron Hanes runs up mountains to train himself to be the best bowhunter in the world. He likes to hunt far away from the typical hunting grounds in places that are hard to reach unless you’re in his kind of physical shape.

His book “Endure” captures his story which is a great one and one that continues. I was drawn to the title, because I though my word for this year was “endure.” There was one other box with the same name, but Cam’s subtitle included the words “keep hammering” and that spoke to me.

Focus

The thing that stood out for me right away was the intense focus this man has put on one thing, hunting. Maybe two. Hunting and training to hunt.

To some, running 100 mile races might seem over the top, but not for Hanes. He knows they give him the edge he needs to be a successful hunter year after year. It all provides meaning and purpose to his life.

Learn From Cameron

There are lots of excellent lessons in this book like how not to let your critics get to you. How to learn from others and how to “burst through the bonds of low expectations.”

He stresses the importance of believing in yourself and being obsessed with improvement. He thinks that obsession in successful people is not because they think they are great, but because they really think they are not that great at all and need to improve!

Get Used to Being Uncomfortable

This book is about what I have learned to be expansive discipline which is putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. They induce growth. Cam says that “My good friend Misery and I have become real close over the years.

Now remember this not about being yourself up for the sake of beating yourself up. Hanes has a purpose and a mission. Getting used to being uncomfortable helps him hit the mark time and time again.

Greatness

Cameron Hanes believes in you and me. He says, “The good news is I believe each and every one of us is capable of greatness in something. He continues, by saying, “Your bowhunting is out there. I promise. It will open doors for yours well. But be warned: when you become obsessed, it takes over your life. This obsessive approach works for me.”

What’s it going to take. You might have guessed it. Hard work or as Cam says, “…damn hard work.”

Your Body

Frankly I can’t say it better than Cameron Hanes, “Your body gives what you ask of it. Don’t ask much and it won’t give you much. Ask a lot and it will give you a lot. I haven’t found my limit yet, but I am trying.”
This book is very inspirational especially for those who want to strengthen themselves. He talks about putting his body through the wringer. However, he might disagree with me when I say you do need some rest from time to time. Even then your main focus must be to “keep hammering!”

Go Hiking And You Won’t Regret It

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Actually, there was one hike that I regret. Maybe it wasn’t so much the hike itself, but the fall I took.

It was on a hike up to Camp Muir on Rainier.

Camp Muir

If you haven’t done this hike, I do recommend it in spite of my fall. It begins at 5000 ft in the Paradise parking lot. If you arrive early you can get a paring space. For some distance the the trail is a steep cement walkway built for tourists. Then it converts to a combination of manmade trail and natural.

After about two miles you will come to Pebble Creek. Crossing Pebble Creek can be interesting. One year the rocks had a thin coating of ice on them. I watched a couple hikers take the plunge into the creek and I barely made it across myself. After Pebble Creek you will be into the snow even in August most years. Then on to Camp Muir just another two miles away. You will think those two miles are a hundred or at least fifty.

Going Up

After leaving Pebble Creek you climb a steep area of snow. This is where I fell, but more on that later. From there it just goes up. You may run into a crevasse or two on the way up depending on the snow melt, but they are small.

It gets steeper as you climb but there is a trail. Actually, there are several trails made by climbers in the snow. If you go on a clear day it is pretty easy to determine which one to take and you always want to go on a clear day. Once you can see Camp Muir it is still about a half hour away at my pace.

Coming Down

Coming back down the mountain can be fun. If the condition of the snow is right there are long slides you can take. It is called Glissading. Do not do it if the snow has frozen into ice. You will go way too fast. But if conditions are right it is a lot of fun.

Typically I will jog down. Be sure to keep your weight forward and place your heel first into the snow.

The Fall

On that particular hike, I was wearing Yaktracks instead of Microspikes. Don’t do that. When the snow is just ice the Yaktraks just don’t give you enough traction.

When I reached the area just above Pebble Creek I was slowly making my way down a steep area when I slipped and slid a hundred yards down into the jagged rocks. I cut my head and legs. Fortunately, an EMT was on his way up the mountain and he bandaged me up and told me to go to a hospital within eight hours. I did.

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-One

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“Overcome,” was outstanding! I wished I had written it. Jason Redman certainly has the credentials. A former Navy Seal, shot up in the Mideast, who eventually overcomes all of that to teach all of us how to get over, under and around adversity.

Maybe it is the military mindset, but these folks have an uncanny ability to come up with terms for every situation. In this book “getting off the X” is one of my favorite. The other is “Are you ready.” Then it just gets better.

Getting Off The X

In Redmand’s world the X is where you are when you are ambushed. It can be in war or life. Divorce, bankruptcy, losing a loved one, or job loss. When those things happen it is you job to get yourself off that X as soon as possible. There is a small group of people that overcome. “Instead of being defined by their loss, they choose to define themselves by the challenges they’ve learned to overcome.” This is a choice!

He says, that to get off the X, you have to REACT.

Recognize your reality
Evaluate your position
Asses possible exit rutes
Choose a direction and communicate it
Take action

Abandon Panic

This is a chapter that must have been written for me, because it is my weakness or at least one of them. Redmand says, ‘When something catastrophic happens, the moment the pressure of panic begins to tighten, stop and take a deep breath. Get oxygen to your rapidly misfiring brain. Actively resist the voice telling you to run or react.”

He continues and says, “You can learn to manage panic if you rely on preparation, calm and positivity.

Are You Ready?

Redmand says, “The average human being will endure at least five major life changes over their lifetime.” So the question is, “Are you ready?” Are you prepared? You say how can I be prepared when I don’t know what is coming my way? You need Redmand’s Pentagon.

The Pentagon consists of five legs: Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Social and Physical. If all of those are strong then you will be prepared of the next ambush. If one or more is not so strong, you need to work on it.

Purpose and Mission

Redmond spends a good del of time on mission and purpose. He talks about how we need to allow the purpose to change as we change. As yourself, “What do I stand for and what am I passionate about. Those answers will help yo clarify your purpose.

Once you have the purpose and mission you set your course. A course consists of goals that are “realistic, attainable, measurable, and adaptable.” You have probably seen most of those before in writings about goals, but the one that is somewhat unique is being adaptable. That comes from the Navy Seals Semper Gumby theme. Adaptability rules!

As usual, there is so much more in the book so read it or listen to it.

Go Hiking But Don’t Try To Be Jack Reacher

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If Jack Reacher were climbing a mountain my guess is he would be sure he never climbed the same one again. That might be a good philosophy for some, but I am against it.

Going up the same mountain over and over has some real advantages. You get to know the trail well which helps me a lot because I hike in the dark. Then I can pick a mountain that is safe in the snow and not prone to avalanches.

On the Other Hand

However, Jack Reacher walks a lot and doesn’t seem to mind it much. He could certainly handle climbing a mountain. When you are big it is a little more difficult because you are carrying so much weight. A former NFL friend of mine told me each one of his legs weight 100 pounds. So that might be tough on Reacher, but I think he would like the scenery.

Most likely he would find something that didn’t look quite right on the trail and soon and himself involved in some kind of crime. It would probably involve all of the mountains in the area so he would have to climb them. Otherwise I don’t think he would.

A Mountain In Every Book

You could say that solving whatever crime or nefarious plot is kind of like climbing a mountain. Of course there are so many things in life that are like climbing a mountain.

Reacher needs to climb these mental mountains his his stories. Just like real mountains, sometimes they are average size and sometimes they are huge. Sometimes they require no technical ability and sometimes they do. You need to be prepared.

Be Yourself

It is probably best not to try to be a Jack Reacher on a mountain. You will enjoy yourself more if you just be yourself. Don’t try to be like your hero, even if he or she are not Jack Reacher. I really don’t think Jack would be much of a mountain climber.

If you are yourself in life and on mountains you learn from your mistakes and not be trying to figure out why something didn’t work out after you copied exactly what someone else did.