This is the twenty-sixth of a weekly blog series that will focus on leadership in the outdoors and how to get the most from the least. Even though the title is called, “Thoughts of a Modern-Day Mountain Man”, it will hopefully cover topics that are useful to everyone.
Chapter 26: Mountaineering is a two-way journey.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- Dylan Thomas
This chapter marks the halfway point of this year-long writing project. As I mark this halfway point, I think it is of utmost importance for me to remember that the second half or the homeward bound part of the journey carries the most weight and is of the most importance. Many lives have been lost in the mountains by forgetting the cardinal rule that mountaineering must be a two-way journey if it is to be considered a successful undertaking. Many times summit fever, or the relentless desire to only get to the top of the mountain, completely takes over a person’s ability to utilize rational thoughts and logic. The perceived pull from the top of the mountain can call like a siren song of old, and lead the undisciplined mountain man to his impending doom. Throwing aside caution and a well-established plan of action is a sure-fire recipe for disaster in the mountains. Not setting or implementing a hard and fast turn-around time, or not paying close attention to the language of the mountains in regards to weather or conditions has left more dead bodies on the mountain than would seem possible. This modern-day mountain man requires a plan for the entire journey, not just the first half.
Living at the base of several large mountains over the past fifteen years, I have seen many helicopters and search-and-rescue teams on their way up the mountain to perform yet another risky rescue or, as was often the case, on their way to recover another body from an ill-fated and poorly executed trip upon the heights.
Even very experienced mountaineers can fall prey to poor decision making processes and not seeing a well-planned journey to fruition. Sometimes unavoidable accidents do happen, but more often than not, these unfortunate tragedies are completely avoidable, as they should be. It is a fairly common occurrence that mountaineers who would seemingly know better rappel right off the end of their ropes during their descent after reaching a summit when all it would take to prevent such carelessness is to take the time to focus on the small details and never lose sight of the end goal, which is safely returning home. Mountain summits and expeditions are arbitrary and meaningless goals if one cannot live to tell the tale. There is great error in thinking or believing that the hardest part of any climbing trip into the mountains is the way up or on the way out far into the great unknown, when in actuality the most difficult part is the second half of the journey, returning home. There cannot be a price set on making it home safely and successfully to properly complete a well-planned and executed journey.
As this modern-day mountain man is now on the second-half or final part of this writing journey, it will be paramount for me to remember that the final chapters and words will be the most important and carry the most weight. My passion for this project must be greater as the end draws closer to complete what was started six months ago.
During my years serving as a director or coordinator at outdoor education centers throughout the United States, one of the most essential skills that I tried to impart to new staff during training and program periods was the need for keeping the passion for the mission at all times and to not go silently into the night with a whimper. The people that were attending the programs needed us to have the exact same energy and dedication to the job-at-hand throughout the entire season, with the last day of the program having the same quality as the first day of the program. Oftentimes the staff would start the season off with vigor, enthusiasm and great zeal to deliver the highest quality program imaginable only to fade into a shell of their former selves as the season progressed. By the halfway portion of the season, the energy level and focus had diminished so greatly that the program suffered and became inferior in every way. I do believe that this is simply part of human nature and the human experience. We often only see what is directly in front of us or is close on our visible horizon, when in actuality we need to be able to see the ultimate end goal. Returning staff that worked from season-to-season became experienced at being able to be very consistent over the course of the entire season and were able to translate this skill into success and high delivery of the overall message. This is our mission, especially at the Christian programs, the students on the last day of a program deserved the same experience as students on the first day of the program. Attention to detail and focus must not wane.
The modern-day mountain man may never know when their hard work, attention to detail and diligence of completing a journey will directly affect someone who desperately needs to hear about the word and the love of Christ. The time and place may not be of our choosing or selection, so we must be prepared to treat every day of our journey on earth as an essential part of the overall mission of bringing others to Christ.
There is no better example ever set forth for mankind than the life and journey completed by Christ during His time walking the earth as a man two-thousand years ago. The first half of His journey was difficult and tough enough, descending from Heaven to take on human form. He left a place devoid of human pain and suffering to enter a world that would persecute and hate Him. It wasn’t enough for Christ to complete the first half of His journey and just become a man, the final part of the journey was to be the most difficult but was absolutely essential to the completion of His mission on earth. Even knowing the pain and suffering He would endure on the second-half on the journey, Christ saw the journey through to completion. He could have called upon His armies of Heaven to stop the torture and torment, but that was not part of the plan. The sacrifice had to be made in such a way that the atonement for our sins and human nature would be completely and totally fulfilled in one fell swoop. Christ fiercely, violently and completely overthrew death and the devil during His holy expedition. He came to earth to accept the challenge and bear the full brunt of being the sacrifice for mankind as our one true Savior. Christ did not go silently into the night but instead fulfilled with purpose what He set out to do with passion and purpose by being crucified, rising from the dead and ascending into Heaven. Christ never stopped or lost focus halfway through the journey. The modern-day mountain man should always use Christ’s example as a way of seeing our journey on earth through to the end until we are safely home. HE IS RISEN.
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