山不是用来征服的，也不会让你征服。
Some time ago I wrote about how I started my relationship with the mountains — On Hiking
Lately, I’ve heard people asking me: “What’s the next mountain that you want to conquer?” “Hey, you are in Japan conquering all the mountains!”
While I don’t think any of them meant anything more than just being curious and celebrating the fact that I’ve reached some peaks, the phrase “conquering the mountain” didn’t really sit well with me.
This is how hiking, or mountaineering, was painted to us when we read about it in books or the news. Who and who and who conquered the highest mountain in the world; who and who conquered all the 100 famous mountains.
But ever since I’ve started hiking seriously, I’ve never thought about mountains and summiting the same way. We are always at the mercy of mother nature — the terrain, the weather, and all the things she can throw at us when we are out there. Each of them can kill us a million times over, and the mountain remains there.
The mountain has taught me this lesson again and again — Each time I get complacent while being out there, I get reminded of my place.
- Slipping and getting injured on Cerro Manquehue, Santiago.
- Mountain sickness kicking in hard during the Ausangate Trek, Peru.
- Having to run down 20km to our destination hut because an injured teammate’s delay meant we wouldn’t make it before nightfall — Annapurna Base Camp Trek.
- Not bringing enough water and feeling dehydrated for 4 hours on Mt. Tsurugi, Japan.
Summiting is never about us conquering the mountain. It is them allowing us to coexist with them, in a mutually respectful way, and nothing more.
山不会让你征服；你征服的，只是你那颗自傲的心，仅此而已。
Here’s one of the best shot on the summit of Mt. Tsurugi
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