This week, I hiked to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California. This was a preparatory hike. I wanted to discover the trail conditions to ensure a safe and fun experience for a youth group I will be leading on a 60 mile adventure. I ascended the peak with two companions who will also accompany me on our excursion next week.
LOST
We hiked up the south face of the mountain. This is the side that gets the most afternoon sun. We were warm and the trail avoided most of the remaining patches of snow.
The trip down was a different story. We descended the north face and discovered some extremely different circumstances. It was a challenge. In many places, the snow was up to our waist lines and the trail was difficult to discern.
At one point, we completely lost the trail. Our natural feeling was to head down, but something inside of me kept telling me to stay high on the mountain, even though heading down, looked like the right idea. As I traversed the mountain pondering our next step, I kept thinking how easy it would be to just head down, but the feeling of finding higher ground kept gnawing on me.
I decided to pull out my map and study the trail and topographic lines. My hope was to orient myself on the mountain so I could begin to see where the trail should be. As I studied the map, I could see that if we headed down in the direction that looked like the path of least resistance, we would walk our way right into some significant cliffs which would force us to return up a steep and dangerous snow covered trail.
Getting Back On Course
I oriented myself on the mountain and it immediately became clear that the trail was definitely above us. I had no way of knowing for sure, but I thought it was as few as 50 yards and as much as 500 yards above our current position.
We started walking up the slope. It was very difficult. Within a few moments, I thought I heard a marching band, and then realized it was the beating of my heart. We had only gone about 20 feet and I was exhausted. I really considered the thought of giving up and dying on the trail. I didn't think I could make it 50 yards and 500 yards would have been impossible. Pure will to survive kept me moving.
Fortunately, we found the trail, and it was only about 40 feet up from our original position. The sight of the trail enlivened our spirits, and we became focused on making sure that we did not lose it again. The remainder or our hike through the snow pack, challenged us as much mentally as it did physically, and it was quite a relief to finally make it below the snow line.
Gaining Perspective
The last couple of days have given me the opportunity to put this experience into perspective. Life is full of moments when we are unable to discern the trail. We sometimes think that if we just keep moving forward we will find the trail again. We are often in such a hurry to get there, that we just launch into whatever lies ahead with a belief that speed is our friend. Direction is more important than speed and we need to be certain that we are heading in the right direction.
The smallest movements in the wrong direction can create the harmful circumstances. Correcting the course is a very difficult proposition and can prove to be more than we are able to bear. This is why we need to be conscious about our movements and regularly check them against our general plan.
Can you see the trail to your success?
Our your actions taking you toward or away from the safest and most reliable path?
Do you have a map that you can use to orient yourself when you find yourself off track?
Over the course of the many years of my work, I have discovered that even the most successful people at times find themselves off track and unaligned with their goals. They realize the need to stop and look around and gain perspective. I enjoy helping them do that. Today, I challenge you to notice where you are and see what steps you need to take to sharpen your focus. Don't be afraid to recalibrate, it may seem like more work at the time, but your actions to stay on course will save you from arriving at the cliffs of insanity.
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