The Impact of Goals and Reality

The idea of climbing Denali set off a chain reaction. Actually deciding I was going to go of course resulted in great excitement. It also changed entirely the way I looked at exercise, fitness, weight, all of those topics that so often make people grumble. Training became a much higher priority and a lot more fun.

Recently I was involved in a group discussion about how guide services screen their prospective clients. There was a two-party conversation going on near me between someone with guide service experience and someone who soon plans to use a guide service. I didn't hear the core of the conversation, but the final words from the guide were, "We would screen you out."

The man he was talking to was maybe 10 to 15 years younger than me and very fit; he has run several marathons, for instance. It took a moment for it to sink in, but soon I recognized that I too could be screened off a climb. Not only will I be 57 when we land on Denali, but I have a handlful of borderline ailments for which I take a handful of pills each day. Will I too go through all of this planning, preparation and excited anticipation only to be screened out months from now?

Just as setting the goal and making the decision changed my outlook on exercise and everything else that is good and healthful -- and necessary if I am to train properly for the climb -- even the remote possibility of being screened out sapped my enthusiasm. The change was immediate. Exercise became a lower priority. Excuses came easier.

All this was about a week ago. I am coming to terms with two things. One is that I need to deal with the reality that I have not been screened out. I need to replace fear with fact and find out what the medical qualifications are for the climb (I am certain about my climbing qualifications). The second is that climbing is, first and foremost, a mind game. Whether you think you can or think you cannot, you are right. I have failed to summit on many a climb, and the most common reason is falling prey to one mind game or another. And the mind game starts long before we even set foot on the mountain.