Day 15: the Way Through

Day 15

Inspired by a run which explains its eloquence. Running makes me a philosopher of dubious merit. The phrase is rather silly but it has become a mantra for me. I say it every time I face a new challenge that scares me. I've said it during strenuous hikes, high-altitude races, and most recently, snowboarding. Any friend who's been on a mountain with me has heard this silly phrase.

The phrase can be serious too. One summer I planned a trip to Utah's national parks. My research on the parks emphasized safety such as carry enough water, have a good map, know where you're going, and tell people your plans. These are standard safety tips. I also read a news article regarding the roles of park rangers. Most visitors to parks mistakenly think that if they get lost, park rangers will swoop in and rescue them. This can be a deadly assumption. The role of the park ranger is to protect the park. While they provide guidance such as which trails are safe and which are closed, their role is not search-and-rescue.  Once a visitor ventures into the forest, the onus is on the individual to find the way back.

When my roommate learned of my plans to visit Utah, she shared her experience. Utah is a gorgeous state with amazing national parks and she had a great time. On the last night, however, four people in her group had not returned by sunset. The remaining party expressed concern to the park ranger. He said this was a usual occurrence, and everyone would show up fine the next day. My roommate was rather upset by what she perceived as a brush-off of her concern.  His statement was accurate. The missing people showed up the next morning. They were fine and had learned a lesson about taking too many pictures while hiking. Her story highlighted the fact that missing people do not always equate urgency for the park rangers. If you get lost in a national park, you must find your way out. The only way through is to continue through.

Disclaimer: do not take this poster literally. One rule of hiking is the half-point rule. Set a time that you expect to be half-way done with your hike. If you are not half-way by that time, turn around to return. (Um, learn from my mistakes.) Do your research and hike wisely. Sometimes being safe means to continue and sometimes it means to turn back. Do not make foolish decisions with the expectation that someone else will rescue you. They may, but they may not.

What is your silly mantra to help tackle challenging tasks?