Thursday, May 29, 2003
Don't fight the trail.

You have to flow with it.
You can't make a mountain any less steep
... or an afternoon any cooler or the day any longer,
... so don't waste your energy complaining time and distance and terrain.

And the trail itself cannot be changed.
You have to change yourself.
You have to adopt your mind, heart, and soul to the trail.

For every five days on the trail, you can expect
... one day to be uncomfortably wet,
... one day to be uncomfortably dry,
... one day to be uncomfortably hot,
... one day to be uncomfortably cold,
and one day... to be comfortable

Don't expect Nature to respect your man made comfort level ... and your desire to control your environment. In our desire to avoid discomfort we may become more uncomfortable.

Leave your cultural level of comfort at home. Forget about your material wants. Just concentrate on your physical & spiritual needs.

Yes, you can wear one t-shirt the entire journey; ... you don't have to take showers; ... you can survive on one hot meal a day; ... don't need a roof and walls around you at night. Leave your emotional fat at home as well. Feel free to laugh and to cry, ...to feel lonely and to feel afraid, ...to feel socially irresponsible and to feel foolish, and to feel free.

Rediscover your childhood. Play the game of the trail. Roll with the punches and learn to laugh in the face of adversity.

Trail life teaches us how to live all the parts of our lives. The most important lessons we have learned in life, trail life has taught us.

by ~me~ at 9:35 PM ©

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Wednesday, May 28, 2003
It shouldn't matter how slowly I go...

so long as I keep faith and don't stop....
by ~me~ at 9:48 PM ©

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Friday, May 23, 2003
I have been sick for some 3 weeks now.... and I think, failing to exercise has contributed to this stupidly weak body... sigh...

Looking forward to our open climbs tho :)
by ~me~ at 8:49 PM ©

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Sunday, May 04, 2003
ROCK CLIMBING & RAPELLING FEARS.... conquered

This has been the cheapest affair i've attended so far.... Rapelling was frightening (especiall that 'flying' Australian style of descending) and I swear, issues of who to trust and how much you can trust the people around you.. aside from the equipment attached to you.... had to be dealt with in split seconds....

But it was fun. And liberating to know I could do it.

Rock climbing... was another matter. It was disheartening for me to be swinging, or collecting bruises on my fingers and knees and shin... or unable to relax. I wasn't scared of falling because I know the ropes and harnesses and carabs etc. can support me... aside from the wonderful people who were supporting me... but I just got easily tired....

I cried my way to failure in the second boulder I attempted to climb. But i'm mighty proud of myself when I attempted it the second time and not only was able to scale it... but also because I did not swing (as am bound to do, it seems, whether I was climbing walls or rocks).

I'm also happy that nobody got into a real accident. I am happy I was with friends. I am happy that I am able to trust more and more peole to support and guide me and keep me from harm.

And I am happy for the new possibilities such a new experience will be bringing to my door.

I just love MMS... and the people driving the organization. And I love the friends who really supported me and gave me reasons to push myself some more.

by ~me~ at 6:31 PM ©

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