Last time I was in Phoenix Arizona for a conference, I headed out two days early because I wanted to climb Camelback Mountain. For years, this annual conference was held in Scottsdale and I could see Camelback from my hotel room. And every year I said, “next time I come, I’m going to stay long enough to climb Camelback.” Well this was finally the year!
If you’ve been a reader of mine long enough, you might remember when I wrote an article, “Top Five Lessons from Climbing Everest.” It wasn’t me who climbed Mt. Everest (I’m assuming that’s obvious) but a motivational speaker I had recently heard present.
So I’ve decided this week to write MY top five lessons from Climbing Camelback. Hey, it was my Everest!
1) You can never know the full extent of the kindness of strangers until you travel alone. It amazes me how people really look out for someone who they know is by themselves. I’m a pretty independent woman (just ask my boyfriend!) and I can take care of myself. But I was so touched by people who went out of their way to assist me on this trip.
One example includes a security guard of a very ritzy resort. I was lost on my way to Camelback (part of my independent nature includes traveling to places with no map and no GPS) and turned into the Phoenician Resort. At the gate (you had to be on the guest list before being allowed to enter), I told the guard I had made a wrong turn and was trying to get to Camelback. He told me the best way to get there was through the resort. And after giving me very specific directions, he asked if I wanted a couple bottles of water because I would need them on my hike. Wow! Talk about hospitable.
Then there was the checkout woman at the grocery store who insisted on finding scissors so she could cut the tag off my new sunglasses that I bought for the hike.
2) Follow the directions – but ask those in the know. When I was at the base of the mountain, I was reading the instructions for climbing. I was really concerned when it said I should wear light, loose fitting clothing (I had on head-to-toe black and as far as loose-fitting? Let’s not go there.), and that I should have at least a quart of water (I had one 16 oz. bottle). I almost considered turning back. But then I decided to ask someone coming off the trail. He happened to be a Phoenix resident and climbs all the time. “You’re fine this time of year. I didn’t even have water with me today. But if it was May or June, you’d be dead.” Great! Onward and upward!
3) Slow and steady wins the race. At the beginning of the climb, I decided to pace myself so I’d have enough gas to get to the top. That means there were plenty of people racing past me. I didn’t mind so much when it was these hard-bodied athletes with backpacks filled with rice and beans training for the Death March in New Mexico (I’m not making this up!). I knew I couldn’t compete so I gladly stepped aside. But when I noticed groups of people with average physiques flying past me, I started to get a little discouraged.
It was then I noticed I kept passing the same people over and over again who were too winded to keep climbing. They’d race past me and then within 5 minutes I’d be passing them again. I beat many people to the “saddle” because I paced myself. I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re the rabbit or the hare, if you just continue on you will reach your goal.
4) Watch where you are going but don’t forget to stop and take a look around. This is the equivalent of “stop and smell the roses.” The more difficult the trail got, the more focused I had to be on the ground in front of me. As I climbed higher, the scenery got more spectacular but I had to make a point to look around and appreciate the beauty or I could have easily missed it. Fortunately stopping to catch my breath often was necessary the higher I climbed so I had plenty of time to see the view.
5) Never give up. Seriously. There were two times when I almost didn’t continue. The climbing was getting harder and harder and I was getting more and more tired. I had all kinds of thoughts going through my head. “No one else will even know if I don’t make it to the top. I could take a picture from here. I’m sure it’s just as beautiful. Did I even say I was committed to going to the top?” This is called “mind-frick”. And when it starts, the best thing you can do is thank your mind for sharing and come up with a more powerful mantra to overcome it. What worked for me was, “I did not come to Camelback Mountain to climb half a mountain!” I said this over and over to myself and even shared it with a few other people who were ready to quit.
It worked because I made it to the summit. And the rush of exhilaration I felt when I got there (after I caught my breath) was SO worth it! I’m ready for my next mountain!
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