Enjoying the Journey

This year has been one for the books. Everybody is writing their sum-ups and introspections these days, and I’ve been thinking about this for a while too. Mark and I talked about what this post should say while driving across Nebraska last weekend, and I think I may have waited too long to write it.

The basic gist of the idea is that, this year, Mark and I learned that we need to let go a bit. We were very goal-oriented in our climbing this year, and in our lives. We both felt like we spent way too much time and energy on plans that fell apart at the last minute, or goals that we didn’t accomplish. We both realized, while journeying home, that we are happiest when we’re not obsessing about the outcome, but simply enjoying the ride.

Our best climbing days were unplanned. We woke up, got to the trailhead, and then walked up to a climb and decided to give it a try. The days when we attempted big ticks (Mainliner or The Petite Grepon) the plan tended to fall apart, with harsh consequences on our egos and psyches.

So, for 2009 you won’t see any plans, or tick lists on ColoCalders. You won’t see training schedules, or apex trips. Our only goal is to accept life as it comes by us, and enjoy it for what we have, not what we want.