When we hiked the Lagazuoi Mountain I was extremely tired, sore, and in need of at least three generous helpings of pasta. At one point we thought we lost Massimo and Sire among the damp and eerie tunnels and then took a detour where we basically bouldered a section of the mountain. It was a little frightening—not really knowing where you are and what you’re doing. At one point I even asked myself, “why am I doing this?” and I tried to think about all of the moments that lead me to this point. All I could think about was seeing Massimo and Sire ALIVE and what food options the rifugio had to offer. I guess that was motivation enough, thinking about detrimental what ifs could wait. In retrospect, the reason why this program appealed to me was the prospect of being challenged, of doing something that would push me out of my comfort zone and place me in an environment I’ve never visualized for myself. Once we finally reached the top, we were reunited with Massimo, Sire, and Ray. I ordered the tris gnocchi which would have been much better if my tastebuds weren’t so weak from being at a high altitude. The physical and mental exhaustion had reached its limit until we were reminded we had to go back down…but the view was great.

 I’m not sure if this concept translates well but after hiking the Lagazuoi I started to personify the mountain, as if the cycles of exhaustion and pain we felt trying to reach the top compares to the years of geological change, societal tension, and expansion a mountain must endure to be what we know and see today. I think climbing a mountain can be both a singular and shared experience. In this case, I’m so glad I didn’t hike the Lagazuoi alone because if I did I wouldn’t have had the memories of taking sweaty 0.5 selfies at every pitstop, chanting “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah” to get us through the next flight of stairs, or looking out for each other when there was a step that’s extra slippery or when we felt like we wouldn’t make it pass the bouldering rocks. I’m afraid I may sound like a broken record when I say this but I really do believe that the journey outweighs the destination. 

I’ll leave with some words of wisdom from the one and only Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus: 

“There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” 

Metrolyrics.com. 2015. Miley Cyrus – The Climb Lyrics