Climbing the Mental Health Mountain

The best laid plans…

Sometimes not finishing something, doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

So, let me set the scene for you.

It’s early April. I’ve driven my campervan the 30 mins drive from Porthmadog where I’ve been staying, to the foot of Mount Snowdon in North Wales.

I’d watched the YouTube videos, carefully selecting the route which I thought gave me the greatest chance of completion.

I’d even met my daughter and her children and we’d decided to take on the challenge together.

The plan: to get to the summit of Snowdon and enjoy a selfie, throwing my fist in the air, basking in my success.

I had my hiking boots on, along with the kind of naive confidence only experienced by someone who hasn’t got a clue what’s to come.

So, with an eagerness to get going, we set off.

 

What actually happened?

 

Well, we set off up the Ranger Path, on a cool and overcast spring morning, chilly but dry. Just about perfect weather for a hike!

Everything was fine for the first third of the way up; the path was slate chips and although it was uphill (obviously! 🙂 ), it was entirely manageable.

And then, suddenly it went from a gravel path to a full on climb, over massive boulders and piles of slate.

A short while after, to add insult to injury, I saw a man ( I’d guess mid-fifties ) jogging down towards me, he wasn’t power walking with poles; he was actually jogging in a vest and a pair of shorts, with his arms pumping.

He grinned a cheery nod as he flew past, as though jogging down a mountain was completely normal! I watched him, and thought “it’s clearly much easier going down.”

For a while, even though it was more strenuous than I’d thought, it was brilliant.

The fresh cool air in my lungs, the path winding ahead and the whole area just bursting with views. There was even a steam train slowly winding its way towards the summit, below.

Then came the wind!

And then I felt it, a little breeze. Nothing serious. In fact it was rather cute!

But, it didn’t stay cute for long…

By halfway up the wind was a problem!

The higher we climbed, the more confidence the wind seemed to gather, going from a gentle nudge, to a firm shove. It wasn’t long before it was really getting down to business!

By this point, I was stopping frequently to gasp in the astonishing views of Snowdonia unfolding below me, (definitely not because I was out of breath), and the wind was becoming more and more dominant.

A few minutes later my daughter decided that it was time to take the kids back down (What? No, of course it wasn’t just an excuse).

 

Pushing on

My son in law and I carried on but every step was like walking through treacle, things weren’t exactly easy.

By the time we were around 80% of the way up, the wind had given up playing about!

This was serious, it wasn’t a series of gusts any more; this was an assault aimed directly at us, in order to remove us from this mountain, as effectively as possible.

I physically couldn’t move forward! Every time I lifted my foot to step forward, the damn wind blew me backward! This was it, time to give up!

But you know what I wasn’t expecting? I didn’t mind!

Well, I didn’t mind all that much! I mean, it was a bit of a kick in the teeth when I saw the same man I’d seen earlier, jogging back up the mountain past me (same cheery grin but this time with a beanie!), apparently he’d got to the bottom, and decided he fancied doing it all again!

Still, as I was standing there, battered into submission by the elements, looking across the Snowdonia scenery, I felt… calm. Properly calm in fact.

There was something about being up there, even though I was windswept, and shivering, I was at peace.

The mountain didn’t care that I hadn’t make it to the summit, the views weren’t withholding themselves in disgust. The clouds continued their dramatic performance across the peaks and the birds still flew overhead, utterly unfazed. Life was good.

I think we’re sold the idea that you must reach the summit of the things you try, if you want them to be successful. It’s as though, if you don’t finish the job, and tick it off your list then it’s a failure.

But, when I was standing 80% of the way up Snowdon, with the wind trying to blow me off my feet, I felt more free than I have in years.

Some experiences give you what you need, and not what you expected.

And honestly, I’m very happy to take that, thank you.

 

My final thoughts:

Don’t be deterred by the thought that you may not make it to the end. Don’t feel you have to be as successful as someone else; just accept each experience for what it gives you, and make the most of what you’re given.

It doesn’t matter how far you get, but it does matter what you get out of your journey.

Your journey up your own ‘Mental Health Mountain’ is going to be different to anyone else’s. Sometimes, even small, seemingly unimportant steps, will give you what you need.

I’d love to hear any stories you’ve got to share, too…

Take care in the meantime, and remember to always take the slow road.