Mindgames in the Mountains

Just around the corner there, our objective is visible from the trailhead. When embarking on a mission like this, a common mantra is take it one step at a time. Each step takes you closer to your goal. Focusing on the present and breaking the task down into small, incremental, and easily attainable pieces allows you to cultivate a sense of steady progress.

However, when the objective gets larger, and the air gets thinner, a strange effect can occur. It seems like every step you take, the objective gets further away. The closer you get, the bigger the objective seems. Fatigue is building, covering the same distance takes longer, time seems to warp.

In the face of this subtle yet complex mental experience, we must simply remember that everything I just described is happening in your mind. Your perception is not necessarily reality. In this case, the reality is that every step has, is, and will continue to take you closer to your goal. And so we return to where we started, one step at a time, staying in the present, clearing the mind.