Perspectives on Adventures Big and Small

One of the big topics within my twitter community this week was trip reports, who should write them, and how attention-seekers might cry "epic!" when, by a professional adventurer's standards, the "epic" might've looked like a normal, non-epic day. A discussion ensued, and it got me thinking about the importance of stories from all of us, regardless of how they might compare to the accomplishments of others. Someone out there will find them valuable.

I discovered a wonderful surprise in my mailbox yesterday - Issue 32 of Alpinist. I'd forgotten I'd subscribed. The first time I saw the magazine was in friend George's car en route to what would be my introduction to mountaineering last winter. I subscribed to Alpinist because I love reading about people doing incredible, risky, ground-breaking things. The unbelievable photography doesn't hurt either.

I love being inspired by adventures people I admire are having. Last night's video treat was watching First Ascent guide Caroline George pack for a trip to Antarctica. Queued up again next was a TED Talks video of Majka Burhardt discussing rock climbing in Namibia. The concept of going to Antarctica, of first ascents in Africa, is incredible. Some of the stories are so beyond my comprehension of what is possible and what is realistic. I don't know many people who don't love adventure stories. I know people who've never touched an ice axe, or know what one is, who could talk about Into Thin Air for days. These stories don't just inspire me to keep pushing my limits; they take me places I'm not convinced I'll ever go, whether by design or by choice.

My biggest risk yet and it felt so good! Mt. Rainier. (Solveig Garhart)

I'm still working to find my perfect risk/reward balance, and it changes daily. There were climbing days last summer I felt amped up and ready to lead. There were also days I couldn't push my fear of falling away on toprope at the gym. There were days I made decisions about risks I'd take far in advance of the risks themselves, and have face them whether I thought I was ready or not. I know the more I do, the more risks I take, the more confident I'll become. The balance will continue to change.

I don't know if climbing Everest or the like will ever be an acceptable risk, nor can I comprehend what it would be like. What I do know is what reasonable, attainable goals for me look like now, and I enjoy reading about those as much as the truly-epic-by-any-standard adventures.

Trip reports from Patrick Gensel about winter ascents of Mount Washington and from Aleya Littleton about climbing Devil's Tower are as important to me as reading about Ed Viesturs and Endeavor 8000. A winter ascent of Mount Washington is an acceptable risk, and an attainable goal. Perhaps a few years down the road, it won't seem like a big deal anymore because my risk/reward balance will have evolved. Who knows? What seems epic to a beginning climber might be laughable to a seasoned mountaineer. It's all a matter of perspective.

Thank goodness for people like Patrick, Aleya, and all the other inspiring folks who, like professional climbers, make sure to get their adventures down on paper for others to read about and learn from. Both perspectives of people who are paid to climb and those for whom a winter ascent of Mount Washington is an epic are incredibly valuable to me. So, all you adventurers out there, keep writing, I need all of you!