An analogy to hiking and achieving goals in life
Today, you can expect a slightly different blog post, as it was written in passing during my hike to the Osterfelderkopf in Garmisch-Partenkirchen yesterday. When hiking, I can let my thoughts run free completely differently. I can be creative in a completely different way. I’m much more in the here and now. That’s also how this blog post about thoughts on and while hiking came about because I dictated it into my notes – an analogy to hiking and achieving goals in life. Have fun reading!
For me, hiking symbolizes the achievement of goals in life.
You set a goal without knowing exactly which path will be the right one. Is it the longer, less arduous path? Or the steep, sweat-inducing path where you don’t know whether your energy will last all the way to the top? Perhaps there is a middle way? Or can I alternate between steep/sweaty and relaxed? All paths have one thing in common: you lose sight of your destination from time to time. Something blocks your view or you forget where you actually wanted to go. What about intermediate goals? Milestones that should be celebrated – moments when you can take a breather, replenish your energy reserves, look back and be proud of how far you’ve already come.
But the intermediate station also means time to perhaps question: Do I really have to go all the way to the top? Or is the middle station not enough? Do you always have to go all the way to the summit? But never mind, I’ll keep going for now. But which path is the right one? The fast and strenuous one, where you are so focused that you can’t even enjoy the view? Or the panoramic trail, which you walk at a leisurely pace and where the path itself is even more clearly the goal?
Why the hell am I even doing this?
Am I still on the right path? Does it even exist, the “right path”? Perhaps every path is the “right one” because each one is simply different, none of them better or worse. It may be that one path suits me better today, with my form on the day and the external circumstances. And maybe another path will be the right one tomorrow. And what is it like when you walk in pairs? Do you take more breaks, enjoy the view more intensively and look back more often? Or do you spur each other on, walk faster, more focussed, perhaps even in competition? And anyway, where is my goal again? Have I lost sight of it again or has a new destination opened up on the way that now seems much more attractive?
How much further is it? Shouldn’t I be there by now? Sometimes I think: “I’m done. Why am I even doing this to myself?” Am I doing this for myself or do I want to prove it to someone? Never mind – I’ll just keep going. I’ve already come this far. Now I can’t turn back either. Why not?
Why is it all uphill all the time? It didn’t look that far from the bottom. If I had known beforehand – how strenuous and long it would be – I might have chosen a lower summit after all. But who knows if it would really have been easier? Maybe it would have been just as challenging. I think I need a break again. Hallelujah, that’s exhausting! Sport is murder.
Wandering outside on the way to yourself
Was that just a squirrel? I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t paused! On we go! How easy it suddenly becomes for me to walk uphill, where I almost had a heart attack at the beginning! For the first 20 minutes, I always feel like an old diesel engine that needs to warm up properly. But then I run like a Duracell bunny and don’t even need that much food or breaks. My head is still as red as a tomato, but at least it’s going better now and I’m no longer whistling like an old boiling kettle on the stove.
On to the last stage! And even if I have to take another break, that’s completely fine. I’m feeling really good right now. Only now am I realising how good the fresh air is for me, how relaxing it is not to be constantly reachable and to leave my mobile phone in flight mode. How happy I am right now! Why don’t I do this much more often? To take myself out of everything and just be by myself – alone with my thoughts, out in nature. How beautiful it is here. How beautifully majestic the mountains tower before me, what indescribable peace they radiate. Completely unimpressed by what is happening around them.
Now I’m realising again, with every fibre of my being, how beneficial hiking is for me. I’ve actually always known this, but forgot it in the stress of everyday life. Maybe I should write a note on my pinboard somewhere to remind myself how good these moments do me. How good this soft autumn sun feels on my skin, the gentle babbling of the stream at the edge of the path, the soft rustling of the wind in my ears, the carefree chirping of the birds. Everything seems so peaceful. And all the everyday problems that otherwise seem so oppressive suddenly become tiny and insignificant.
On the move to find peace
And look, there’s the summit! It went faster than expected, at least the last few metres. What a marvellously beautiful view! How the sunlight is reflected in the different layers of rock, and how infinitely peaceful the view of the valley is. It was worth it for that alone. How proud I am of myself for taking breaks instead of just giving up. I believed in myself and kept going, even though at times I didn’t know where I was going or why I was doing this to myself at all.
Only now do I realize how sweaty I am, how my muscles are shaking. And where did this stone in my shoe come from? Have I had it in there the whole time? How good this water tastes! I can’t remember the last time an apple tasted this good! How juicy can an apple be?
Gratitude flows through my body – grateful to be able to experience this moment. Grateful that I was able to climb this mountain all alone as a woman and that I never felt unsafe at any point. Because that is anything but a matter of course. Grateful to have two healthy legs and to be able to take the time for such an experience. Grateful to have been born and to be able to live in such an enchantingly beautiful corner of the world.
Was this effort worth it? Yes, it always was – in one way or another. And which route do I take now for the way back? Whichever one I choose, I will enjoy the last rays of sunshine on the mountains to the full, take a few deep breaths and keep this day in my heart forever.
And now off home to my parents, Mum has cooked something especially for me. What a privilege, this life.
Rosa ❤️
P.S.: If you would like to read more about such topics, you are welcome to continue reading in my “Mindset” category!
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