Another fatal incident at Capitol peak forced me to write this piece today dedicated to the mountains, not just as a reminder to whoever is reading it, but primarily to myself; of what mountaineering is really about.
Not all connect to nature in the same way. Some connect to oceans, some to the jungles, others to canyons, deserts, valleys, wildlife, stars and so on; some like me connect to Mountains. They are all different elements of nature where one finds solace. One of the major reason for me to stick to Denver for so many years, has been it's mountains. Coming from the coastal part of India, I never got a chance to feel the mountains until Denver. My first year in Denver, I did a fourteener, and that's when I fell in love with mountains.
Since then I have done multiple 14ers, and every time, I return home more humble than before. Every time there is some learning I take back with me. While I am hiking up the mountains I always think why do I stuff my backpack with so many unused items, next time I will not get x, y ,z. But then the next time, my mind forces me to pick up all those items that I did not use last time; in the anticipation of what if?
In one of the conversations back in India, I remember someone making a statement; I don't recall the situation, or anything else, it's just the dialogue that's stuck with me; which was something like - "The thief could break into your house just once. But you will have to lock the doors every night". It's the same with hiking. Things don't go wrong in every trip; but we need to be best prepared every single time.
I have had friends tell me they want to do 14ers; friends who are not fit enough to run even 5K on the normal terrain say very confidently "Oh, that's not a big deal. I can do it, I have climbed hills in India". One of the recent death at Capitol peak, was because a novice had picked up this peak as his first 14er and was completely unprepared for; a couple died falling off this cliff just a few days before and so on. There has been 5 deaths in last 45 days on Capitol Peak alone this season which has beaten any records till date in terms of number of deaths within such a short span. It's sad that such fatal incidents have occurred; but many of these seemed like they could have been averted. It was just unfortunate.
It surprises me that in this age of information, how can we be so naive. 14ers.com is such a resourceful site; and there are numerous such sites and blogs out there which gives details about the peak conditions, what to prepare for and so on; yet, we manage to remain ignorant. I agree one can never plan for the unforeseen circumstances; but that doesn't mean you walk up a 14er in running shoes and shorts with a cap and one bottle of water; there are basic essentials that you need to take with you, basic rules and safety measures you have to follow.
But if despite of all the measures you took, you still lose your life doing what you love, I would consider it that you were specially blessed. I would love to die doing what I love, but that doesn't mean I go out inviting death. I love my life. And I am not one of those who is just sitting behind a screen and typing stuffs, not knowing what it is like out there. I have been there, I have made my mistakes, just survived through some of them, I know what it feels like.
There is no shame in turning around even when you are just 100 feet away from the peak. Mountains are not going anywhere. They are not there to be conquered. Mountains are for you to discover yourself, enjoy the journey hiking them; you don't need to deliberately make them a question of life or death. No one is handing out medals for doing all the 53 fourteeners in Colorado; or for that matter any mountain on this planet. They are not for adrenaline rush or getting likes on Facebook status. They are more than that. And not just the mountains, this entire nature; try to connect with it instead of trying to outdo it. You will never win if you treat exploring nature as a competition; nature will get to you in no time.
All I would say is, One must treat mountains with respect, with submission. Those majestic peaks have been standing there for ages withstanding the wrath of time; not for us to treat them like some amusement park trail. Don't take your Arrogance up the Mountains. They know how to humble you.
-Sarita
Dated 8th September 2017
Not all connect to nature in the same way. Some connect to oceans, some to the jungles, others to canyons, deserts, valleys, wildlife, stars and so on; some like me connect to Mountains. They are all different elements of nature where one finds solace. One of the major reason for me to stick to Denver for so many years, has been it's mountains. Coming from the coastal part of India, I never got a chance to feel the mountains until Denver. My first year in Denver, I did a fourteener, and that's when I fell in love with mountains.
Since then I have done multiple 14ers, and every time, I return home more humble than before. Every time there is some learning I take back with me. While I am hiking up the mountains I always think why do I stuff my backpack with so many unused items, next time I will not get x, y ,z. But then the next time, my mind forces me to pick up all those items that I did not use last time; in the anticipation of what if?
In one of the conversations back in India, I remember someone making a statement; I don't recall the situation, or anything else, it's just the dialogue that's stuck with me; which was something like - "The thief could break into your house just once. But you will have to lock the doors every night". It's the same with hiking. Things don't go wrong in every trip; but we need to be best prepared every single time.
I have had friends tell me they want to do 14ers; friends who are not fit enough to run even 5K on the normal terrain say very confidently "Oh, that's not a big deal. I can do it, I have climbed hills in India". One of the recent death at Capitol peak, was because a novice had picked up this peak as his first 14er and was completely unprepared for; a couple died falling off this cliff just a few days before and so on. There has been 5 deaths in last 45 days on Capitol Peak alone this season which has beaten any records till date in terms of number of deaths within such a short span. It's sad that such fatal incidents have occurred; but many of these seemed like they could have been averted. It was just unfortunate.
It surprises me that in this age of information, how can we be so naive. 14ers.com is such a resourceful site; and there are numerous such sites and blogs out there which gives details about the peak conditions, what to prepare for and so on; yet, we manage to remain ignorant. I agree one can never plan for the unforeseen circumstances; but that doesn't mean you walk up a 14er in running shoes and shorts with a cap and one bottle of water; there are basic essentials that you need to take with you, basic rules and safety measures you have to follow.
But if despite of all the measures you took, you still lose your life doing what you love, I would consider it that you were specially blessed. I would love to die doing what I love, but that doesn't mean I go out inviting death. I love my life. And I am not one of those who is just sitting behind a screen and typing stuffs, not knowing what it is like out there. I have been there, I have made my mistakes, just survived through some of them, I know what it feels like.
 |
| Kite Lake while hiking Mt Democrat. |
There is no shame in turning around even when you are just 100 feet away from the peak. Mountains are not going anywhere. They are not there to be conquered. Mountains are for you to discover yourself, enjoy the journey hiking them; you don't need to deliberately make them a question of life or death. No one is handing out medals for doing all the 53 fourteeners in Colorado; or for that matter any mountain on this planet. They are not for adrenaline rush or getting likes on Facebook status. They are more than that. And not just the mountains, this entire nature; try to connect with it instead of trying to outdo it. You will never win if you treat exploring nature as a competition; nature will get to you in no time.
 |
| Hiking Mt. Beirstadt |
All I would say is, One must treat mountains with respect, with submission. Those majestic peaks have been standing there for ages withstanding the wrath of time; not for us to treat them like some amusement park trail. Don't take your Arrogance up the Mountains. They know how to humble you.
-Sarita
Dated 8th September 2017
(In memory of all those who lost their lives to the 14ers and nature in general. Your soul will surely rest in peace as you died in the nature doing what you love)
Comments
Post a Comment