Mountaintops #1
I spent the summer of 1994 in Japan. Living with a Japanese family, I completed my next-to-last semester of college and enjoyed traveling around the country as well as seeing Hong Kong and South Korea.
One of the true highlights was climbing Mount Fuji. Our group set out late one afternoon, spent the night on the mountain and summited just before daylight. With a light snow falling as the sun peeked up over the horizon, words fell short of describing the beauty around us. I simply took it in.
With this momentous experience, I discovered a new passion.
Climbing mountains hurts. It is difficult. I suspect this partially explains the sense of accomplishment when you reach the summit. Most people are simply proud of themselves, and rightly so. Every group of friends I have climbed with knows the moments of seeing false peaks, only to arrive and learn that we must climb even higher. Along the way, someone always suggests that perhaps we should turn back. We certainly feel like turning back, but pushing through the pain is always worth it.
Most mountains also afford rare air. Mountaintops are typically peaceful, quiet with expansive and overwhelming views. For good reason, the mountaintop experience is pervasive in spiritual literature. Life perspective opens up from this viewpoint.
If you can climb a mountain, even a small one, go for it! If that time has passed, you are certainly climbing more metaphorical mountains. Keep going. Don’t turn back. Push through the pain. The view at the top is always worth it.
Worth Repeating
The mountains are calling and I must go.
-John Muir
