Anticipation

In order to achieve success, you have to leave open the possibility of failure. So as I write this passage, I am vulnerable. The trip up Mt. Whitney is only 10 days away. This has been my most inactive weekend in a month.

Yet tomorrow I endeavor to break my personal best climbing Cowles Mountain and coming back down to my starting point. Setting a record on such a small mountain is less important than what it represents. Perhaps a reprise from the shin splints that have continually dented my confidence and held back my training.

Whether I break the record is immaterial compared to how I feel doing it. Whitney for me won't be a race, but a matter of mental and physical strength, in that order.

While I won't have too much weight on my back tomorrow, I am considering loading up my backpack for a couple hikes up the hill this week. Some have advised me to rest, but I feel I need more endurance.

So, early in the morning, I will be heel-toe walking to the top. I hope to report a successful ascent, with few breaks and a lot of confidence.