Lessons from the Mountaintop
Tags: Travel, Adventure, Hiking, Africa, Spirituality

A look down through the clouds

Lessons from the Mountaintop

Background: On a hiking trip in the Simien Mountains, I have an unexpected rendezvous with several life truths while trekking solo to the summit of a mountain swimming in clouds. What follows are scenes from the trek itself, and my thoughts that accompanied them.

The worn path up the mountain

I’m trekking up towards the summit ridge and away from the commotion of the base camp. Clouds sit atop the summit, and I want to walk among them. I’m alone and moving at a quick pace — my pace. Altitude makes the climb harder, but I follow the dirt path, focused and soaking in the surrounds. I want to be here

It’s good to work toward goals; it gives us meaning and worth. This kind of motivation — being drawn toward something — is different from being motivated by fear of potential outcomes: being driven away from something. This is positive energy, and it is sustaining. The other is negative energy, and it is corrosive.

A look back at basecamp

While pushing upward, I stop to admire the amazing path ahead and the beautiful backdrop behind. Clouds pour over the mountaintop and valleys of green and gold shine below

Purpose and goals are not everything. These places that we pass through are the scenery of our lives — they are meant to be enjoyed. As the Arabs say, “God is beautiful, and he loves beauty.”

My goal is to walk among the clouds, which always seem ahead (and away) from me. I’m forever walking towards them. Before reaching the summit, I pause and notice vapors swirling around and behind me. I’m already in the clouds and didn’t realize it

Success may come in different forms or arrive differently than we anticipate. Self-awareness can help us recalibrate what “success” means to us.

View across the summit ridge and the cupcake grass

As I reach the summit, the worn path I’ve been following peters out. Along the summit ridge, I walk across squishy green cupcakes of high grass, happily making my own way

At a certain point in life, well-worn paths disappear, and we have to guide ourselves. Embrace it — the freedom and dynamism of charting your own way are well worth the fear and uncertainty. Complacency is the key to dissatisfaction. Be purposeful. The path you choose is right because it’s your path.

The clouds surrounding me seem to insulate me from the sounds below. I love the silence and solitude, especially after running into French hiking groups over and over again across the valleys below. I’m feeling so satisfied — it’s like I’m smiling inside

Breaking away from pre-formed groups and routes is often where I find myself happiest. Maybe it’s the impression that I’m somehow intrepid, independent or creative, but it’s definitely where I feel the most alive. The goal is not just to be different from others; rather, it’s to genuinely and fully be yourself. If that leads you off the well-worn path, don’t be scared — be you.

The stone horn where I settled in to read

As I walk across the green cupcake grass, I see a horn of stone sticking out from the summit ridge and decide that’s where I want to go. Except the occasional distant cries of a bird, it is utterly silent

Always have something to work towards, even after you accomplished “enough”. A Chinese proverb hanging in my parents’ house says, “if a man has two pennies, he should spend the first on a loaf of bread to sustain his life and the second on a flower to give him a reason for living.”

The stone horn slopes down and then juts up like a diagonal “j” or a massive stone divan. Inside the “j”, the sweeping winds of the summit are blocked, so it’s a calm place to read my book. There is a perfectly shaped stone to lean against. I sit and watch the cloud vapors rush up the side of the mountain without feeling the gusts themselves. I’ve found my place

You never know where you’ll find a warm welcome or a “fit”, so keep an open mind, be flexible, and don’t allow preconceived notions to control you.

Cloud silence

As I read my book in the thick cloud silence, I hear a gaggle of French hikers reach the summit some few thousand feet away. They’re laughing and enjoying the view. They stay for five minutes and leave. I’m alone again, happily undiscovered

There are armies of people who will enter and exit your life — few will meet you on that special plain that Rumi talks about. Those few are the ones who count. Don’t let the others disturb your inner tranquility.

I finish reading and set off to descend the mountain. The clouds obscure the way down, and I abruptly come up to the edge of a cliff, the end of the summit ridge — I’ve walked too far. I smile, turn and find the way down. No problem

Leave room for entropy in your life. You will make mistakes, accidents will happen, and things will go wrong. These are only made worse by stressing about them.

Monkey troupe on the way down

On my way down the mountain, I run into a huge troupe of monkeys. They eat and scamper peacefully, mothers carry their kids around like backpacks, an elderly monkey keeps watch from afar, looking at me as he chews. The mountain sunset is the most intense and beautiful sunset that I may have ever seen

The world is full of diverse life that is beautiful, dignified and precious. Respect it. Love it. See yourself in it. Bask in it.

This picture doesn’t do the sunset justice — intense and mesmerizing

That night is truly frigid, and I’m wrapped in a blanket because my clothes aren’t warm enough. I have too many cups of tea while chatting with a Scottish guy about how he once lost and regained his finger. I wake up at about 2am, having to go to the bathroom but desperately not wanting to go out into the cold. I ultimately give in to my bladder. As I grumpily hustle out of my warm cocoon, noticing that it has rained, I pause to look up. It’s the most magnificent display of stars I’ve ever seen.

Jibara trees down the valley

The next morning, the Dutch couple I’m hiking with opts out of the last day’s hike, too sick to continue, and they take our guide with them. I feel pangs of bitterness at being left alone, which feel doubly bad after the beautiful night that I had. I spend the next five hours hiking with our scout, Birara, a local who speaks no English, is wearing plastic jelly flip flops and carrying a loaded semi-automatic weapon. With barely a word between us, Birara and I climb mountains, descend valleys, cut through mossy forests and traverse hilly plains. In stark contrast to the other hikes, we move quickly and silently — stopping only to relieve ourselves. I’m hoping he’s impressed by the stamina of this “faranji”. The physical exertion and stunning beauty of my surroundings saturate me with awe and gratitude. This hike is the most challenging and nourishing of my life. It’s like my soul is breathing

Don’t give up on something that seems negative. There is positivity where you make positivity, and beauty snakes through life like a stubborn weed that blossoms even in the dead of winter. Be like Oscar Wilde: even if we’re all in the gutter, try to look up at the stars.