Melissa's Memo: Climbing The Mountain

I still can’t believe it, but I did it. Just like that, the hike for which I trained for months and months is over.

That 13.25 mile climb up Pike’s Peak to altitude of 14,115 feet was hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Over the 9.5 hours it took to get to the top, I had a lot of time to think.

Things I learned along the way:

1. I had a mantra and that really did help me. In my head I said at least a thousand times: Stay present. Feel your body. See God. It helped anchor me to the here and now instead of letting anxiety and exhaustion completely overwhelm me.
2. I knew my WHY. Firstly, this hike was a fundraiser for the Brain Injury Alliance of CO. If you’ve ever met Sierra on our team at Oh My Cupcakes!, you’ve probably smiled BIG. Because Sierra makes the world smile. She also lives every day with a brain injury that has significantly altered her life. I climbed that mountain for Sierra. I also climbed it because I’ll be 50 in just a couple of weeks and I wanted to remind my body that she is strong and capable of doing amazing things.
3. I had to choose what to look at. The last two miles were the hardest. I shuffled. I leaned against boulders and dissolved into tears multiple times. I kept looking up, and I’d see people way, way up there on the trail looking like ants. I’d despair over how far I still had to go. And yet, if I looked down, I was able to see how far I’d already come. It was a shift I made: pay attention to the progress instead of the obstacle.
4. Just. Don’t. Quit. The last two miles especially, I was filled with self-doubt; I was not sure I could go on. And yet, forward was the only choice. The author Cheryl Strayed says: It is impossible for you to go on as you were before, so you must go on as you never have. I told myself that I could go slow, and I could even take breaks, but I could not quit.
5. Friends made all the difference. In times of doubt and exhaustion, there were friends there saying, “You’ve got this! You’re doing great.” Never, ever underestimate that power. It is literally and figuratively what kept me going.

So what about you? What’s the hard thing you’ve been considering, but weren’t sure you could do it? How can I encourage you to give it a try?

I believe in you. And after Saturday, I believe in me, too.

With blessings and gratitude,
Melissa and the Cupcake Ninjas