Everyday is a great day to celebrate and enjoy Mountains but I am just going to take this opportunity to write a few words about it.

I love mountains. I would not say it is an obsession but it can easily fit in the definition of a sort of an addiction. I won’t fall into the trap of clichés and say what we all know about mountains and nature. However, I want to dig deeper into the topic. 

Some people wonder why some other people are so into mountaineering. In my opinion,  there will never be a clear answer for whom have to ask. 

“Why did you want to climb Mount Everest?” was asked George Leigh Mallory (1886 –1924 Himalayan mountain climber) “Because it’s there.” he replied. 

This is a famous quote when it comes to talk about mountains. However, what does his answer mean? What did he really mean?

“After graduating from University, 24 year-young, a top student and athlete Christopher McCandless (a.k.a Alex Supertramp) abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity. He starts his long trip from the East Coast and across the USA and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.”

Into the Wild, Book and Film. 

It is said that modern life has made us disconnect from Nature… Was Alex crazy or courageous?

“Reinhold Messner (Italian mountaineer, explorer, and author) In 1978, he made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest, the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen, along with Peter Habeler, and was the first climber to ascend all fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres above sea level. He was also the first person to cross Antarctica and Greenland with neither snowmobiles nor dog sleds. Furthermore, he crossed the Gobi Desert alone.” @reinholdmessner_official

“Edurne Pasaban (Basque Spanish mountaineer). On May 17, 2010, she became the 21st person and the first woman to climb all of the fourteen eight-thousander peaks in the World. Her first 8,000 peak had been achieved 9 years earlier, when she climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.” @edurnepasaban

I guess I am not wrong if I say there is a common word that comes to anyone who has just read about these last two Legends for the first time, and that word is, in capital letters, “WHY”. Whether you knew them or not, I invite you to check out their lives, books and interviews. There is always more than meets the eye.

Among all the excellent climbers, alpinists and mountaineers I look up to, I want to take advantage of this special day and give a shout out to one friend who is just now beginning his new adventure towards the Antarctic and later, the Himalaya.

Alex Txikon (Basque Spanish climber and alpinist) will return this winter to make his third attempt to summit Mount Everest without oxygen during the toughest season of all. Firstly, in January, Alex and his team will head to the South Shetland Islands in the Antarctic. There, they’ll acclimate to cold weather and concentrate on climbing a few peaks, before heading to Nepal next month. Once in the Khumbu, the plan is to  make a warm-up climb on Ama Dablam before going to Everest Base Camp. Once again, it will not be their level of fitness and mental strength which will determine their success on this challenging adventure, but the weather and mountain’s actual conditions. @alextxikon

All the best to Alex and his team, third time’s a Charm!

Hard to make a transition to anything else after all this but yeah, back to the point. 

Now, let me ask you one question instead.

Have you ever felt what is like reaching the top of a mountain, walking along the river through a valley, hiking on a path next to a cliff?

Answers are not about the right words but the right feelings, aren’t they?

I encourage you to go out there and explore. If you are still wondering, wandering will always help you finding the right feelings.

Annaïs