Are you prepared?
This past weekend, Master Matt Tracy and I went up to the Adirondacks in upstate NY and summited four high peaks this weekend. We did Whiteface, Ester, Porter and Cascade. While there is no snow in downstate NY, they had about two feet on top of the mountains. We climbed 4300 ft and 13 miles in snowshoes the first day, and 2500 ft for just under 7 miles on day two.
I love winter hiking! The air is crisp, the scenery is amazing and the quiet is surreal. The layer of fluffy snow on top of the trees made look like a winter wonderland. As beautiful as it is, it is also very dangerous if you are not prepared.
I read a post right before we left where a group climbed Mount Marcy, the highest peak in the Adirondacks, in sneakers and had to call in to be rescued. Marcy is a minimum 15 mile hike with over 3500 of elevation and is no joke to climb in the summer, let alone the winter and in sneakers! Ugh!!! Not only did they put themselves at risk, but all the rescuers as well. They were not prepared.
Matt and I had a great climb because we were prepared. We had the proper gear, layers, snow equipment, food, and water to make sure we were set in case of an emergency.
My question is, how prepared are you? Everyday in life is an adventure with new opportunities to explore, obstacles to overcome, goals to meet, people to love, you name it. Endless opportunities! Do you prepare your mind to crush your day or do you let your day crush you?
You may ask how does this relate to a winter climb? Answer is simple; for the winter trek we made sure we were prepared to handle whatever came our way. Same thing should happen in everyday life. Every morning I take the time to make sure my mindset is right and am mentally and spiritually ready and prepared for the day. It’s the same preparation process, just different application. Plan each day like it’s the most important day of your life, and each day could be epic!
