Choosing Real Mountain Adventures

Why I choose mountains and a life of adventure… Growing up in SoCal in an outdoors averse household, the only mountains I had access to were called 6 Flags Magic Mountain and Disneyland’s; Matterhorn, Space, & Thunder mountain. The thrills were effortless save standing in hours long lines and heat while sipping pink lemonade and noshing on strawberry sprinkled churros. All plastic wrapped, diabetes inducing, and as foreign from nature as Mickey himself. The cost of admission was USD currency and the “joy” was fleeting. Unmemorable. More of a thrill than joy or happiness. The souvenirs were expensive and often discarded after a year or so and easily replaced with some new “trip to the park.” I think this experience in upbringing is a huge part of why I #choosemountains. There’s nothing easy about being in the mountains. Climbing them is challenging, takes mental toughness as much as physical strength. It’s humbling to the core. To walk amongst the giants is to know what it is to feel small, but understand how big we have the potential to be. There are no conveniences. The cost of admission is guts to try, a willingness to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and an explorer’s attitude. The experiences are REAL. You use all five senses and its the housing for your soul, your body, that is the thing of wonder out there. Not a machine. The souvenirs last forever. The joy you get in reaching the summit, taking in the views with your mind’s eye and pictures, and reaching the finish will last with you a lifetime. Each mountain offering a unique experience, knowledge & confidence of new limits to your human potential. Those “magic mountains” were fun. Stoked they were in my backyard growing up and allowed such a blur of hazy sugar filled memories. As an adult though, and with the ability to choose my days and how I spend my free time and live my life, I will forever choose the real thing over the fake. The authentic adventure over the pseudo. The majesty of these mountain moments in nature over the “marketed mountain-lite” version created to keep us in line, any day. To be wild is to be free as the mountains themselves, no standing in line required.