The Summit

Saturday, Paul and I went to Crowders Mountain. I have been really getting into hiking since moving to North Carolina where there are plenty of mountains to suffice the urge for adventure. Crowders is a beautiful one. The path is man-made, however, Paul led me a different route. He was resolute in getting off the easy path. So I followed him up a steep climb of rocks and fallen trees. Although it wasn't a 90 degree climb up the North face, it was still a difficult climb that, if one tripped or fell, it could have severely injured the person (Mom, I love you, and Paul made me do it). I hadn't planned on doing this, so I had worn shorts. After trekking through thick thorns and being cut by there jagged points, it began to wear me out. But we climbed as far as we could off of the man made path where we were just shy of the summit, and it was beautiful. We looked out over hundreds of square miles of trees, houses, farms, and untouched nature.

We hiked back down the steep journey to the path, and a little while later, we reached the summit. The summit is the highest place of possible ascension on a particular mountain. When its reached, you feel a sense of pride and achievement, knowing that you made it to the top.

In May of 1953, a man by the name of Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand became the first man to ever achieve the ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. This January marks one year since his death in January of 2008. He lived to be 88 years old, and man did he live! Following his ascent of Everest he devoted much of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he founded. Through his efforts many schools and hospitals were built in this remote region of Nepal.

I wander what went through Edmund's mind as he stood at the summit making his mark on the planet. I wish I could ask him that question today. He went on to become an amazing philanthropist. As stated, he built many schools and hospitals in remote areas where no one dared to construct public outlets of education and health-care. It is because of this, I would venture to make a guess at what went through his mind. I would guess that a part of him felt invincible. Not in an arrogant fashion, but rather, having pride for the human race. He gave inspiring speeches to people all across the globe after this achievement. But why??? I believe it was because he actually believed in what he was speaking about...

...He believed that if a man or woman wanted to trek into untouched places in the world, he could. He believed that a person who had a vision of an impossible task could achieve it with the right amount of training, preparation, and passion. He believed that odds stacked against a person meant that there was an opportunity for a surge in the advancement of mankind's inward strength and outward daring. He believed that dreams could come true.

He believed that if someone wanted to reach the highest possible place on a mountain; that they could do it... Sir Edmund Hillary could gaze at the peaks of the earth, in the human mind or emotions, or in our own personal world of challenges and life struggles, and be fully convinced that none of these Summit's were to high to be insurmountable.

That no Summit is unachievable.