Spider Pigs

Emma and I woke up on Sunday morning full of the good intention to set off on a 4-hour hike out at Box Hill, just outside of London. Box Hill promises rolling hills, rambling meadows, and forests teaming with flora and fauna - perfect for a Sunday away from London.

We set the alarm early (for a Sunday) and I leapt out of bed to brew some nice strong coffee to kick start the day. 

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on our side. Rain hammered down outside my bedroom window - and not just the drizzly, misty Londonesque rain we've become accustomed to but hard, driving, icy rain.

 

"It's sooo cold and wet out there!" I exclaimed to Emma, after running outside to put the rubbish out.

 

"Yes," Emma replied. "But we should probably get used to it. I mean, we ARE planning on climbing a mountain."

 

She was right. But I couldn't help but think that when we climb Piz Bernina the weather will be clear and crisp, despite the icy chill, and we will be wearing the right clothing, along with the right equipment. Our plan for Box Hill was meant to be more of a 'fun' Sunday stroll in running shoes and gym attire; a picnic stowed away in a cute backpack.

 

We sat forlornly eating our pancakes and knocking back multiple coffees, watching puddles the size of a goldfish pond form outside on the lawn. I started to wonder how two girls who are more comfortable spending Sundays lounging around drinking coffee and scrolling through Instagram would ever make it up a 13,284 foot peak....

 

However, said Instagram scrolling lead us to learn of three inspirational, beautiful souls by the names of Emily Harrington, Hilaree O'Neill and Taylor Freesolo Rees (and before you ask - yes, that is her real name). Now, I implore that you go and read about these three women - and prepare to have your mind blown when you do. I mean, one of them climbed Mt Everest and a whole other mountain in the space of 24 HOURS and then apologised for not updating her blog.... #swoon!

 

**I will do a separate post, at a later date, about these three women and how strongly I believe they are the sort of role models we should be encouraging younger generations of females (and our own!) to aspire to, rather than the Kim Kardashians of this world**

 



L-R: Taylor, Emily and Hilaree. Photo from Emily Harrington's website, here.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking through images of Emily, Hilaree and Taylor trekking through the dense jungle in Myanmar, covered in leeches, insect bits, cuts, bruises and blisters, only to then be faced with summiting Hkakabo Razi in horrendous weather and extreme freezing temperatures (I'm not even sure that makes sense but I am trying my hardest to portray the fact that these three are so hardcore that there are no grammatically correct sentences to describe them), made us feel a little pathetic and lame for not venturing out in the wet autumn weather to take a hike. I mean, what if we didn't like the look of the weather the morning we awoke to summit Piz Bernina? What if I simply couldn't get myself out of bed without my morning flat white? What if it was really, really cold?

 

"Let's go rock climbing!!" I announced suddenly, imagining what my three new heroines might do if they ever found themselves with a weekend and no plans.

 

Emma quickly found us a rock climbing gym nearby (she also found this, which looks amazing and we plan to get there in the New Year for an ice climb) and we headed out into the downpour with a new found enthusiasm.

 

West Way Sports & Fitness Centre turned out to be the ideal place to spend a wet Sunday afternoon - it was warm and dry, the music was pumping and the people were friendly. The climbing walls were massive and well-equipped, with plenty of room for the busy crowd of people who'd obviously had the same idea as us.

 

 

Unfortunately, as we are yet to do our mountaineering course and learn about harnesses and ropes etc, we were unable to use the main climbing walls but agreed we would return for a lesson with a professional in the next few weeks. Instead, we stuck with bouldering - something we've done a few times before. Under the watchful eye of many a seasoned boulderer (wondering what the hell we were doing in running shoes, with no chalk and absolutely NO technique whatsoever) we scrambled and struggled and flailed our way through an hour and a half on the walls and left with achy limbs, a sense of accomplishment and the desire to become experts in all things climbing.

 

"Everyone has to start somewhere," said Emma.

 

We waved to our new found spider monkey friends and headed home in the still-torrential rain, to obsess over Emily, Hilaree and Taylor some more.

 

Photo from Pinterest, here.

 

 

 

 

Taking inspiration from everywhere

When I think of the people who most inspire and amaze me, I think of those who are living life to the fullest, chasing their dreams and are out in the world doing something that I consider to be different or unique from regular everyday life.

 

They're not the people catching the 8:30am tube to Bank, wired off three black coffees, on their way to work in the finance sector, hair slicked back, suit pressed, iPhone, tablet and laptop all working overtime on the thirty minute commute*.

 

Most of the people who inspire me are people I know personally, or have been lucky enough to meet over the course of my 29 years .... The marine biologist who has lived in Madagascar and Thailand (to name a few) and sailed all over the globe; another marine biologist who lived in Myanmar (Burma), her work constantly under threat by local terrorist groups; the South African conservationists living in remote parts of KwaZulu-Natal; the BASE jumper living out of a backpack and going wherever the wind takes him; the talented photographer who is constantly on the move - hopping from one continent to the next with only her camera for company; the young sailor who chases the summer weather around the globe and has achieved more at age 20 than most 50-year-olds I know; and my own aunty and uncle who have cycled across Malawi, trekked through Nepal and kayaked around Tonga - to name just a few adventures.

 

These people are my source of constant inspiration (and the reason I am thankful for social media: so that I am able to keep up with the amazing things they are doing).

 

When I was asked, at work, to write a blog post titled "Top Tips for Entrepreneurs" I really didn't expect to find anything inspirational relating to what I want to do. But a quick Google search for some resources brought up an article written by three-term mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg, offering his advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Now I don't know old mate Bloomberg from Adam, I don't know what he stands for and I don't know if he's considered a good guy or a bit of a jerk, but as I read through his article it offered me more inspiration than I thought possible. Here's why....

Mike Bloomberg's Top 5 Tips for Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur (or whatever else you want to be):

1. Take risks
Life is too short to spend your time avoiding failure. If you can picture yourself doing whatever it is you want to do, then why not go for it?

2. Make your own luck
Luck plays a huge part in success - but the harder you work, the luckier you get. (I liken this to the Law of Attraction where the basic principle is that like attracts like, or, positive attracts positive). Whatever you choose to do, always work hard at it. Hard work creates opportunities.

3. Be persistent
Persistence pays off. Practise makes perfect.

4. Never stop learning
Whatever you choose to do, be a lifelong student of that subject. The world is full of people who say 'no', because they have stopped learning and stopped trying new things. They will give you a million reasons why something can't be, or shouldn't be, done. Don't listen to them or be deterred by them - and certainly don't ever become one of them.

5. Give back
You are ultimately responsible for your success and failure, but you only truly succeed if you share the reward with others. Giving back might be as simple as sharing your knowledge about a particular skill or showing someone a new place that they might not have otherwise known about.

All this talk of inspiration and inspiring people reminded me of my favourite YouTube video, one that evokes so much motivation in me that it makes it hard to sit in front of this screen typing and makes me want to run outside and assure myself that I am truly ALIVE and living, not just existing.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do - it is truly beautiful and full of amazing footage!
 

 

 And here's a link to the video in case it doesn't load on your mobile - I'm having a few tech issues! It's worth watching, I promise: Alan Watts - What if Money Were No Object?  North…: http://youtu.be/tZ7Y1-0bNeQ

*Disclaimer: I mean no offence to anyone who claims this life to be their own. More power to you - especially if you're doing what you love. It's just not my jam and certainly not something I aspire to. In fact, that sounds like my worst nightmare. But, ahh, good luck with that.

Day 1

I emailed my sister late last night and stated the obvious:

Emma, I have decided that in order to climb this mountain we're going to need to focus. And train. So I'm signing up to a mountaineering course in Scotland in March. By all means, join me. 

Naturally, she replied first thing the next morning, business-like and efficient as ever:

I am with you all the way. Count me in. 

The best thing about my sister, the rest of my family, and my friends, is that when I wake up at 5am with a Eureka! moment and decide I want to live on the beach in Costa Rica - or in this case, climb a mountain - they run with it and often say they'll even join me. 

A couple of hours after said email exchange, I'd booked my sis and I on a week long mountain skills course where we'll learn all about ice axes and crampons and get to summit a few UK peaks. 

I figure - the key to getting anything done is to act on it immediately. If I talk about this mountain any longer and don't put at least one small step in place then there's a 99% chance it will never happen. 

I know myself too well - lots of talking the talk and often not a lot of walking the walk. I'm not lazy, I just get distracted and if I don't make tracks straight away it's likely something new and exciting will pop up and before you know it I'm no longer talking ice axes and crampons in Switzerland but yoga mats and Oms in South East Asia. 

But now there's no backing out. The course has been paid for, I've roped (ha...ha) three other people into joining me on Piz Bernina, and what's more - I've started this blog. I've exposed my big goal to the public arena and now anyone reading this can hold me personally accountable if I don't end up on that mountain by the 29th September 2015. 

I felt quite chuffed with myself for getting the mountain skills course booked, so decided to really push the boat out and go for a swim after work. Swimming is a new hobby for me and I started mostly because I like the peace and quiet it provides after a typical day in chaotic London. But now it's going to serve as part of my fitness training as well. Today I managed a couple hundred metres and basically felt as though I was about to throw up or pass out, but it got the job done and my legs are aching now so I figure that's a good thing.

Like I said ... starting on the couch. Got a looooong way to go before I hit that 13, 284 foot peak.

Image courtesy of Pinterest.

 

Miss Bernina

Next year I turn 30.

Thirty. 

3-0. 

I've always said I would go to Vegas for either my 30th or my wedding - whichever came first. Turns out, it's going to be my 30th (and I couldn't be happier about that - but that's another story altogether).

I told my sister and our aunty and uncle this over dinner, sometime in October, and I couldn't help but overhear some scoffing. 

"Vegas?!" exclaimed my uncle. "But it's so tacky..." 

I looked at him and realised I wouldn't be able to reason with him. I know I will love Vegas, tack and all, but there was probably no point trying to explain this to my uncle over a lovely dinner. 

So I changed tact. 

"Actually... there is something else I'd like to do for my 30th," I paused and waited until all eyes were on me.

"I'd like to climb a mountain."

My uncle blinked a few times and gave a nod of approval. 

"I want ice axes, crampons and ropes attached," I explained. "I'm thinking .... Gran Paradiso." 

I actually had no real idea what the Gran Paradiso was, but I'd heard the name somewhere and it sounded very cool. What's more, I loved the way it sounded more like a tropical retreat than a snow capped summit of dangerous proportions. 

My uncle acknowledged that Gran Paradiso is indeed a mountain, however it can be crowded and because of this it can be tricky to summit. I watched as the cogs turned in his brilliant mind. 

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed. "Piz Bernina." 

I wasn't so sure. The name sounded less like a tropical retreat and more like a sewing machine, but nevertheless I enquired further. 

Piz Bernina is of decent height: at a lofty 13,284 feet she is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps and the highest in the Bernina Range. While the climb bears few technical difficulties, it does incorporate exposed ridges and high altitude and most importantly: ice axes, crampons and ropes are required. 

"Done and done," I stated. With a quick toast, we locked in Piz Bernina for September 2015. 

Me, my sister, our intrepid aunty and uncle. 

And ol' Bernie.

Photo of Piz Bernina courtesy of Pinterest
 

That was about a month ago now and although I've thrown the words around a fair bit, I can't say I
 have exactly started working towards the goal I've set for myself - probably the most challenging yet.

Now, it's safe to say I'm no couch potato but I'm certainly no extreme sportswoman. In fact, I'm not extreme at all. And above all, I am definitely no sportswoman. 

I don't go to a gym. I don't run. I don't play a team sport. I prefer to spend my time seeing friends, drinking coffee, traveling, reading, writing, going out, visiting markets ... and, as I like to say: just being. 

In other words: climbing a mountain is not an everyday activity for me. And I never dreamt it would be. In fact, I have been known to say there are three things I would NEVER do - not even for all the money in the world - and they are: become a chef; go into space; climb a mountain. 

But with 30 looming and along with it a fear worse than death (becoming comfortable/too relaxed/stuck in a rut) I figure there is no better time to set myself the challenge of getting out of my comfort zone.

WAY out of my comfort zone. 

13, 284 feet out of my comfort zone to be exact. 

And so today, I commence my challenge. There's 320 days until I turn 30. That's 320 days to get ready to climb Piz Bernina. 

320 days to go from Couch to 13, 284.