Duke BOLD

 January 4, 2014

 

Reflecting on a whirlwind 8 days in Mexico with the Epico team, I am stuck on one thought: reaching the summit was the most disappointing part of my trip, relative to my expectations. I was fortunate and blessed enough to be one of the 5 Epicos to reach the summit, which was a pedestal of snow connected to the rest of the mountain by a thin pathway around the volcano’s rim. Clouds surrounded the summit, severely limiting visibility, while winds howled and temperatures plummeted near 0. We shivered in celebration for 5 minutes, took a few pictures, and made gear adjustments. We then were consumed with one objective, to get the hell off that glacier and mountain.

 

Don’t get me wrong, the metaphorical significance of reaching the summit was amazing. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I wheezed my way up the last 500 ft. It was only thanks to Brian Van Winkle’s encouragement and our guide Cato’s little white lie about how close to the summit we were that got me up there. The experience has given me confidence to attempt other endeavors where I may feel significant obstacles exist.

Reaching the top, however, was exhausting, very dangerous, and did I say exhausting? Although the weather played a major factor in the physical summit experience, reaching the summit also pales in comparison with how amazing the rest of our trip has been. I’m a very goal and task-oriented person, so was intent on summiting. However, it’s the intangible aspects of the trip which have been so incredible. This is an amazing group of people and I’m blessed to know them, travel with them, and slog up a mountain with them in the dead of night. Mexico has also been amazing, with great food, very nice people, and beautiful sites and countryside. It’s a far cry from the seedy bars and swindlers I’ve come across in Acapulco, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta. Our training hikes went across gorgeous countryside, and introduced us to other amazing people, primarily through our guide service Servimont.

I listened to our BOLD Fellows downplay the importance of summiting for months, while emphasizing intangibles. As a red-blooded American business student, I embraced the concepts but was still focused on the tangible result of our trip. Having achieved that result, I can say it really is more about the journey than the destination.

 

(Trevor)