The dictionary says that a transition is “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another” and it says that preparation is “the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration.” When I think of the last few months these definitions speak in detail as to what I have been going through. It is true that getting ready for anything in life takes preparation if your goal is the successful attainment of something and when it is difficult it sometimes takes a fundamental transition of one’s self and habits.
I have been focusing on my next travel plan and it is neither an important trip by any means nor is it something that is remarkable to anyone but me. It is simply a walk in the Himalayas to a place where in a time of heroes, giants walked (Major Mount Everest Summits-Wikipedia). I will be cold for sure because of the time of year that I selected for the journey.
From Wikipedia: “The Himalayas, also Himalaya, (/ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə/ or /hɪˈmɑːləjə/; Sanskrit, him (snow) + ālaya (dwelling), literally, “abode of the snow”) is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.”
So being an abode of the snow; the weather forecast states that the daily temperature should be 3-6 Degrees Fahrenheit (-16 to -14 Celsius) daily on this trek, I am sure that it will be below that when adding a few thousand feet and taking away the sun! But that is OK. I have a very firm personal belief that a life that is not challenged is not lived.
So it is a simple thing that I will do and a personal challenge that matters only to me, I will spend thirteen days at high altitudes and will do a ton of hiking. It is a time to be alone with my thoughts and my world. In normal life we are surrounded with so much noise that it is hard to think. We stress the small things and live with our first world problems that are nonsensical. So for these days on the trek I will walk, labor, and be in the moment from one second to the next searching for the perfect moment in time while not focusing on anything. The past will be there and the future will be there and the present will be a subconscious mechanical effort requiring no thought or better put it will be absent from thought.
It takes something like this Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek to allow me to hear my own thoughts again. It is simply a statement that I needed transition to get to this point. I became a runner and transitioned from a place in time where I was out of balance – where my mind was strong but I let my body get lazy. In this transition I have lived the quantified life and now I am a runner that watches everything that I put into my body and how much energy I get from the same. Now I have both a stronger mind and body. Preparations were also required. Cold weather gear to “Gu” all acquired. Batteries and Solar Panels. Blood pressure perfect, Blood Oxygen Perfect, everything is good to go!
There really is not much more to say – in the grand scheme of things this is a meaningless trip but to me the mountains are a temple where I go to seek spirituality and meaning. I look forward to this journey and to the absence of light, air and noise pollution. I look forward to the challenge; whether I fail or succeed is not important the only thing that matters to me is that I walk the path. Hopefully I get some good pictures as well! So time to finish packing!
Ciao,
Rob