Debrief: Huangshan

I have to say, climbing Huangshan has definitely been a highlight of my trip so far. I made it home last night around 11:00pm (although my sleep deprived brain did get me lost in the subway—still not sure where I was or how I got there, but I figured it out and got back okay.) John gave me today off so I slept until about 9:30. When I got up, I Skyped my parents a bit and now I am getting ready to go back to sleep. My calves are still sore—I’m sure I could take stairs if I had to—and my gluts and lower back hurt pretty bad, but I’m not nearly as broken as I felt yesterday when I got home!

But before I go back to sleep, I want to jot down a few “lessons learned” from this past weekend. I find that when you travel alone, you have so much time to think, your rate of epiphanies sky rockets. Every minute is an eye opening experience and it is important to capture that essence while it is still fresh. So here is what I learned from my weekend alone in the mountains.

·       Don’t fear being alone. Time alone is a gift. It helps us level out our stress, get in touch with who we are and how we feel about life. It allows us to be present in the moment and keeps us from being distracted or influenced by the opinions or perceptions of others. Sometimes being alone is exactly what you need to get your head on straight and discover your own power and potential.

·       Don’t fear meeting other people. I have to admit, I was nervous to try out my Chinese. I was sure I’d sound foolish, but in the end, I wound up meeting some awesome folks. From Elder and his family to Felix and his friends, it was worth the risk to look foolish and surround myself with great people.

·       I feel like I’ve made a very philosophical discovery about life too. As I’m starting to think more and more about my future and where my life will be a year from now (post-college) I feel like the future is a lot like staring off a mountain top into the mist. You really can’t see that far, and it’s hard to tell if what you can see is beautiful or frightening. But if you trust yourself and realize you are never truly alone, you have the ability to venture out into the mist and discover new adventures.

·       I think this is also what it means to be present in life. When you can’t see past the fog, it forces you to enjoy the beauty right in front of you.

·       I also learned that no energy is ever wasted. Even if you make a wrong turn or go the wrong way, you can always go back. You lose nothing by getting lost; in fact you get to see a different perspective that you might have otherwise missed out on.

·       Things seem to always happen when they are supposed to happen. While I’m typically not a person to believe in “destiny” or “fate” I have to admit that life has a funny way of working out. I still can’t get over the fact I knew nothing about Huangshan when I came to China. I really think that had I not gotten sick from the fruit I never would have read the article about the mountain. At the same time, had Luke not been unable to go, I never would have met Jacob, Pierre, Elder, or Felix—who all appeared at exactly the right moment, just when I needed some help—nor would I have had so much time to stop and enjoy the views on my own. I definitely thing somebody was looking out for me this weekend.

·       There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from the little Sherpa dudes. When they climb the mountains, they stop about every 5 minutes to rest. Sometimes they stop every 15 feet to rest. They take their time and take care of themselves along the way. There is no rush to doing their toilsome work; they’ll finish it when they finish it, but in the meantime they enjoy the hike and scenery around them.

·       On a personal note, I learned the sleep is the biggest influencer on my mood. I am way more adventuresome and tolerant when I am well rested than when I am trying to make decisions at the end of the day (I’m also a lot funnier and have much more charming personality.) That’s not to say I’m a morning person, but I realize I need to be aware of this trait and not make rash decisions when I am tired.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to climb mountains and I am looking forward to another adventure next weekend!