The Teachings of Alpinism

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2 The Teachings of Alpinism It is only possible to reach the top of a mountain if you invest enough time to travel the path. In the best case scenario, the complete journey will give you a lesson. In this sense, walking through the mountain can be a useful way to spend your time. Having reached an altitude of 6000m, it never occurred to me to count my steps. But my habit of walking taught me that a person s capacity to keep on moving is really high if you exercise on a daily basis. Constant training of any kind, especially endurance exercises, is a good way to accomplish change. There are many activities which can improve our life quality. One of them is hiking in the immensity of the mountain, explains Guillermo Tula, a contemporary hiker. It was Alessandro Gogna, the internationally renowned Italian alpinist, who said, Just like the road to oneself, the road to the top is a lonely trip. This is why I, having first learned to walk on mountainous land and then to meditate, can t find a better way to share my discovery than by inviting you to walk through the mountains at your own pace. Certainly, the path that leads you to a summit also takes you to your inner self. My first experience in the mountain, although it was a small one, was decisively solo and that forced me to take care of myself. I remember that I lost my way in one stretch. When I realized that I was going downwards instead of upwards, I had to choose between climbing a 15m cliff and retracing my steps to the point where I could return to course. That was my first conquest. Following, you will find fifty lessons learned from hiking. This is not a manual or technical guide for those interested in starting with this activity, but a series of premises or useful keys for those who want to undertake a trip or an adventure in their lives.

3 - 1 - Take the Time to Live The first thing I can mention about the teaching of the mountain is related to something we all share: time. I personally see life as a specific period of time. While I decide to write and you choose to read these lines, others are spending this precise time in other pursuits which are equally valid, although they don t share the same aim. In the prologue to his book, Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance, Peter Stark explains what I m trying to say in a very effective way. In his book, the author introduces the concept of the ars moriendo of the adventurer. I shall include a short quote to explain its meaning: We all share an inevitable fate. We live inside a body that will die someday. The days in the mountain tend to be extremely long, so much so that you may find yourself waiting for the moment to go to the next camp. This aspect, which may become tiresome at some point, teaches you that everything you intend to do will take some time, so you must be willing to wait and be constant. Being patient and connected to the present helps to reduce anxiety while waiting in any situation.

4 - 2 - Give Up First and Choose Later Whenever we choose an activity, we are forgoing another one. This is one of the most distinctive aspects of life. In the 21st century, with the help of technology, people are constantly struggling not to miss anything happening around them. But one of the things you learn in the mountain is to follow your heart confidently and consciously. There are things in this world everyone should avoid. Giving up greed and the exaltation of pleasures and desires is a starting point. In a short passage of his book, Ética Para Amador (Ethics for Amador), its author, Spaniard writer and philosopher Fernando Savater, tells the story of a teacher, a student and an interesting way to understand that men cannot own everything and certainly, the things you own, own you likewise. Hiking has taught me to carry a light backpack.

5 - 3 - Accept the Laws of Life Life is complexity and constant change. Anyone who has observed a bus station or an airport while traveling will agree. Few things are so constant in these places as change itself. Traveling to different destinations, carrying a backpack full of tricks to face the most varied situations, helps to understand that nothing in this world is really everlasting, not even the magic moment when you conquer a summit.

6 - 4 - Embrace Solitude I heard it from colonel Aureliano Buendía, the charming main character from Gabriel Garcia Marquez s Cien Años de Soledad (A Hundred Years of Solitude), who, sitting in his workshop where he shaped and melted down goldfishes again and again under a yellow lamp, stated that The secret of aging is to become friends with solitude. Trip after trip, the adventurer will begin to make friends with solitude. This process will open inner doors. Knowing oneself is being free. Loneliness has always been something inconvenient for human beings, especially considering evolution. But perhaps nowadays, as a result of the degree of alienation present in the social system, it s perhaps necessary that everybody find ways to embrace loneliness and spirituality. Buendía s advice will be incarnated on mountain trips in more than one opportunity, helping you to face and enjoy the unexpected things in life like being isolated kilometers away from any other human being.