Stratton: Day 1

Advice to Get You Up the Mountain

By 29029 Everesting

October 21^st, 2022

Vermont is the 5th and final 29029 mountain for 2022. With 4 mountains in the rearview mirror already, the 29029 community has learned some lessons - a lot of lessons, and the coaches have witnessed them first-hand.

To help participants in their time of need, Coach Chris laid out six of his favorite insights to lean into when struggling. They are worth rehashing.

Did you think this was going to be easy?

If this event was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing. Easy is a path to stagnation.

Remember that.

29029 is about growth, achieved through doing hard things.

That’s why you’re here. It’s what you came to Stratton for.

It’s time to step up and tackle this challenge head-on.

Who do you want to be?

Do you want to be somebody who quits when faced with adversity? Of course not!

When you wake up on Sunday morning, after 36 hours of hard is over, who will you be?

Somebody who does hard things? Somebody who achieves something through suffering? Somebody who works through any challenge put in their path?

Now is the time to prove it.

This won't last.

Barren trees serve as a stark reminder that everything ends. Summer is over, the end of autumn not far behind.

But just like the impermanence of the seasons, hard times end too.

In your darkest moment, remember that it too will end.

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

Is the climb worth the view?

To do hard things - to push through a challenge as big as a 29029 mountain - you need an even stronger why.

What are you anchored in? What has your journey been? What brought you here?

Use the answers to those questions to propel you forward. One step at a time, you can conquer this mountain.

Don’t let the mind get in the way of what the body knows to do.

The mind always gives up before the body. 29029 is a game of grit, and to achieve greatness, you’re going to have to push yourself far outside of your comfort zone.

Yet, just because it’s uncomfortable does not mean it’s impossible. Your body is more capable than you give it credit for.

Don’t let your mind hold your body back from something remarkable.

Trust the body, and be skeptical of the mind.

Tired is just a state of mind on this mountain.

Are you living a life where nothing matters enough that you’re willing to suffer for it?

This one goes deep. This is the question to ask yourself when all else has failed.

The mountain is hard. The mountain is cold. The mountain is steep. The mountain is slippery.

But you can persevere. You just have to suffer through it.

On the other end of this challenge awaits a new life - a new and improved version of you. It doesn’t come easy, and it doesn’t come to those that wait.