Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Go Hiking and Be Focused

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Focus is important in life and its no different on the trail. You need to pay attention to where you put your feet unless you want to end up on your face or back.

Once you have reached the top of a mountain you can relax and enjoy the scenery. Still, what if a cougar crept up behind you? Not good.

The Wide View

There are two kinds of vision you can use in the mountains which keep you focused in different ways. The first is the wide view. Don’t just focus on one thing, but take in the entire scene in from to of you and around you. It is a different way of seeing but useful.

With the wide view, you are scanning for danger and enjoying the differences in forest. You are very present in the moment so it is like a meditation.

The Narrow View

With this view, your eyes are focused on one thing. Usually, this is why you are climbing around an obstacle or scrambling up a rock face. You have to focus your vision or you will fall.

The narrow view is also useful in swatting mosquitoes. This reminds me that I have not seen mosquitoes in the mountains these last couple of years. I wonder why? Maybe I have just been fortunate and had a breeze blowing. But no, there are fewer birds too. Maybe it is civilization being too close.

The Inner View

If you are hiking a relatively easy terrain, which does happen during a hike, then take some time to go inside. Focus on your feelings at the moment. Focus on how your body feels. Focus on your breath. Focus on how you are doing mentally. Pray!

If you are someone who rarely takes the time to examine your life, this is an excellent opportunity to do that. You may discover things you didn’t know about yourself.

So go hiking and be focused!

Go Hiking And Be Aware

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How hard could it be to be aware when your hiking? You have to pay attention or you fall. Of course, Anthony De Mello is not talking about that kind of awareness. He says it is the kind where you don’t care whether you live or die. I reviewed his book and you can read more about it there.

So I will take a little license here to just discuss awareness when it comes to hiking.

Nature

When you are in nature you are going back to your roots as a human. It is, after all where we all lived our lives many moons ago. Now we are surrounded by concrete and skyscrapers. It is far from natural.

One could argue that cars and concrete require a lot of awareness. You have to avoid being hit by a car. But it is actually awareness filled with distractions. People looking at their phones. You are really not aware.

Cell Phones

These devices are not just in the city. People take them on hikes. That would be fine if they left them in their pocket for emergencies, but they don’t. I see people talking on their phone while hiking up a trail. Please don’t do that. It insults your surroundings!

How can you be aware of wild things or dangers if you are on your phone? It is a deadly habit in the woods. I remember an instance when I was running down a trail and came upon a young lady with earpieces in place. She couldn’t hear me coming. So I scared her and she screamed. Good thing I was not a bear.

I suppose it will be much better when instead of the cell phone we all have the chip in our head and will be scrolling Instagram in our mind. Just as dangerous I would presume, but what do I know about chips in our heads?

In the meantime, keep the phone in your pocket until you want to take a picture. Listen to the wind in the trees and the silence. Be aware of your surroundings.

Go Hiking And Be Antifragile

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Everyone wants to be indestructible like Superman! Do you say you don’t? Ok then, almost everybody wants to be indestructible. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen for you in this life.

On the other hand, you can make yourself antifragile by hiking mountains. In Taleb’s book, he says he likes deadlifts. They are good, but hiking is better!

Uneven Terrain

Mountains are not treadmills or even streets with hills. The surface is varied. Your body needs to adjust to rocks, stumps, mud, and blown down trees at times. This makes your body ready for anything.

The surface is varied as I said, but you are also going up for a long time and then down which adds even more variety to your workout.

Your Mind

If you walk around your neighborhood it is always the same neighborhood. Mountains change every week. A tree falls, a rock tumbles into the trail, and different people are on the mountain. Weather is typically more severe in the mountains. All these stimulate your mind and make it antifragile.

Just figuring out the logistics for a climb is a good exercise for your mind and keeps it strong.

Testing Yourself

Every time you climb a mountain it tests your ability. You find out of you still have what it takes. This contributes to you being antifragile. It surprises your body and mind.

If you are going to remain that way you need to test yourself over and over again. This is not a one-time thing or you will regress and become more fragile. You will break easily. Climb Different Mountains

This is something I need to work on more. I tend to hike the same mountains. It makes me more fragile. Last year I did climb some new ones so I became more antifragile that year, But I need to keep at it.

This is a good admonition for everybody. Change things up in your life. Drive a different way to work even if it takes a little longer. Change your routine.

Become ANTIFRAGILE! Go Hiking!

Go Hiking Because The End Is Always Near

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It is always good to keep danger in the back of your mind as you climb. Alpinists face it all the time and to a much greater degree. However, weekend hikers can do face plants as I have done, break bones, like I have done or run into some wildlife. However, there is less chance of catching the new Coronavirus from China when you are out in nature away from people.

“Danger, Danger, Will Robinson”

Some of you don’t remember that quote and some do. It was a computer of sorts talking, but when you hike you do not have any warning for what might happen.

So don’t have an earpiece, listening to music as you climb. Use your ears to hear something before it sees you. It might even be a tree falling toward you in the wind. Save the podcast listening for the treadmill at the gym. Besides, you will miss the singing of the birds.

Snow

If you hike in the snow, be sure to stay away from avalanche areas. Don’t even trust the reports. Just don’t climb there. Too many people have died because of ignorance or testosterone poisoning.

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but if you go in the snow take your Microspikes or at least Yaktracks. They will save you from injury. Sure, I know you young folks have better balance than me, but why take chances?

High Winds

You need to listen so you can hear a tree coming down, but the best way to avoid being crushed is to stay home when there are gale force winds in the mountains. Why push it? Remember, Risk = Danger Times Exposure. You might get away with it once, but be exposed long enough and you might not.

A little wind is good. It blows the stink off of you ad keeps you awake. The sound of it is soothing as well.

The main thing to keep in mind, of course, is that “The End Is Always Near.”

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This was too easy! How could I resist using Dave Asprey’s book title for a short article about hiking? He does promote exercise in his book!

Everybody that hikes a mountain every week is superhuman. That is just a given. If you go hiking once in a while or only every week when you’re “training for a big climb” you are just normal. But if you have no training goals, and you’re out there every week then you are superhuman!

At The Bottom

There are three times during a hike when I feel superhuman. The first is when I start because I am always a little afraid. It is dark and I am by myself. There are bears to consider and cougars. That is when I take a deep breath and get out of the car feeling superhuman. After all what mere human could face the wild like that?

Even as I start up the trail I feel stronger and stronger. More confident. I adjust to the terrain and begin to focus on my first micro goal.

Half Way

When I reach the halfway point it is almost proof I am superhuman. By now I am feeling very strong. I feel all of the muscles in my legs. The initial aches and pains of the hike have subsided. Now it is a steady superhuman burn.

Ready for the second half of the hike and feeling superhuman, I pick up my pace knowing that I will soon be at my destination.

At The Top

Everybody feels superhuman when they reach the top and are enjoying the view. We don’t always acknowledge it, but we should. It is a real accomplishment.

Actually, if I am completely honest there is only one kind of superhuman when it comes to climbing and that is an Alpinist. They climb the highest mountains with the most technical difficulty. You have to be superhuman to do that.

But wait! Alpinists use ropes. There can really be only one kind of superhuman and that is the rock climber that does not use ropes like Alex Honnold. In fact, maybe there is only one superhuman and that would be Alex.

https://stayonoffense.com/2020/01/25/596/

Go Hiking And Create Something

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Why not? You are hiking with lots of time to think. Nature surrounds you so everything is fresh. You can write a poem in your head or a song. Maybe the outlines of q speech you re going to give soon.

Creating when you’re climbing a mountain is natural. It helps you feel creative when you have the sun, wind or rain beating down on you.

A Song

You don’t believe it? Of course, you won’t know until you try, but I can give you an example of a song I wrote while climbing Mailbox Peak. I had it copyrighted. Now, I just need to get Willie Nelson to sing it unless my guitar playing and singing get a lot better. Here is is,

It’s an uphill battle
The trail goes on and on
Every step I’m takin gets me closer to the dawn
Then it’s on and on again, never any rest
All I know for sure is, I will do my best.
I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way
But I’m going to make it through the day.

Toss and turn all night
Everything’s a fight
Bad things on my left and on my right
It’s just a challenge
Got to keep it tight
And the Lord has got me in His sight
I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way
But I’m going to make it through the day.

Question on my mind
What is it I’ll find
When I make it through the awful time
I hope it will be something I can use again
Maybe it will keep me from some sin
I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way
But I’m going to make it through the day.

I did patent it. That is how big my ego is.

Hey, Willie Nelson!! Come and get it!