One Year of Incredible Discomfort

It was only October 2013 when I began prepping myself for my first solo trekking trip in the Himalayas, Nepal. At the time, I had no clue what trekking was, and I had never had an interest in it. Things changed when my curiosity took over.

"What would it be like to walk among the Himalayas?"

Since then, I have climbed Mt Chiang Dao in Thailand, Mt Fuji in Japan, Mt Rinjani in Indonesia, a few little canyon hikes in Australia, and I plan to celebrate this achievement with the climb of Mt Ngauruhoe in New Zealand.

Trekking has, without a doubt, changed my life forever. If you met me before, you would certainly know that it is impossible to shut me up when I start talking about my time in the mountains. That being said, I have learned so much, and through this post, I would like to channel my enthusiasm and list 10 things that I have learned so far.

Table of Contents

1. It Doesn't Get Any Easier
2. You Can Be Friends with Anyone in the World
3. Don't Underestimate the Mountains, ever
4. Optimism is a Must
5. Our problems are nothing in the scale of the universe
6. Most stress are self inflicted
7. Shit happens
8. The Harder The Journey, The More Rewarding the Destination
9. Curiosity will take you places
10. The sight of the Milky way never gets old
Further Reading for Inspiration

1. It Doesn't Get Any Easier

No, the number of mountains you have climbed doesn't make it any easier to climb the next one. Mountains are mountains. You will be dirty as a hog, you will be exhausted, your back will hurt as f*ck, your feet will bleed, and you will be cold as balls.

But none of these will matter when you realize you have conquered yourself and accomplished what you thought was impossible. Imagine the places you will go if you know you are able to reach the Everest Base Camp with your own two feet. The endless possibilities!

2. You Can Be Friends with Anyone in the World

People are generally good in nature. You see this more clearly when you are in the mountains. Mountains are a great equalizer. People from all walks of life will not hesitate to greet you in the mountains. They will encourage you, empower you, and assist you in any way possible. After all, we are all in this together.

Once you remove all your previous perceptions about people from different walks of life, everyone becomes your friend. Some, you may feel more connected to than your friends back home.

3. Don't Underestimate the Mountains, ever

People passed me as I grasped for air on my fourth day in the Himalayas.

I had made this mistake many times, and a few almost cost me my life. One time in Japan, I miscalculated the trail and thought I could easily hike it in half the time, so I went up there with just one small bottle of water and nothing more. The trail turned out to be longer than I thought, and I ran out of water halfway through. I was severely dehydrated, and my ears started ringing, and my mind started visualizing crazy things like a vending machine behind a tree, etc.

Treat every mountain as if you are climbing the tallest mountain in the world and prepare for the worst. You are always better off to come over-prepared than come underprepared. That extra energy bar you are thinking of not taking may save your life someday.

4. Optimism is a Must

Optimism is what got me through all these mountains. I tricked myself into thinking that the next trail that "looked like" it was going to end, will actually end. You and I know that that is usually not the case, but will it be any faster if you think you are climbing a mountain with no top? Of course not. When you know that the mountain has no top, these questions arise, "Why the struggle? Why risk ourselves like this? Why continue?" and when you started to doubt yourself, everything will fall apart.

5. Our problems are nothing in the scale of the universe

Every mountain I climbed doesn't make me feel stronger, but instead, it made me feel weaker. All the problems I have inflicted on myself don't matter when I am among the mountains. An avalanche could end my life, and I wouldn't even know it.

The realization begs the question: Why on earth would I spend time worrying about those problems when I can spend it on actually living life to the fullest?

6. Most stress are self inflicted

When I was trekking in the Himalayas, I was disconnected from the outside world for a week. For the first time in my life, I was without any stress or worries. I didn't have to check my Facebook feed, I didn't have to worry about emails, and I didn't have to stay up-to-date with the news. I felt happier than when I have all those technological advancements at my fingertips.

I have come to the conclusion that most of the stress we experience in our day-to-day lives is mostly self-inflicted. Don't believe me? Stop reading the news today and tell me how you feel in a week.

7. Shit happens (Sometime, literally)

The worst place to have a stomach ache is up in the mountain.

Shit happens, not just to you, but to everyone. It is how we deal with these things that differentiates us. When I was climbing Mt Rinjani, several of us had a really bad stomach and we had to walk 8 hours down a mountain in that condition. Imagine trying to control two holes at once while sliding down volcanic ash and grasping for oxygen every 10 seconds. I did this for 8 hours straight.

I could complain and vow not to trek again like a maniac, but I know better. I know that shit happens, and there are always good things to draw from bad experiences. No matter how shitty it gets, at least I have a hell of a story to tell.

8. The Harder The Journey, The More Rewarding the Destination

A research done by Hernandez Lallement J and the team, where 28 individuals were provided monetary rewards for correctly completing math problems of varying difficulty, showed that the recorded brain activity of individuals who solved difficult math problems indicated that they were more excited about monetary rewards than those solving easy problems.

We are wired to feel more accomplished when the challenges are hard. Climbing mountains is nothing but hard; that is why people continue to climb dangerous mountains. The indescribable euphoria we get from overcoming ourselves is just too difficult to pass by.

9. Curiosity will take you places

Nothing drives us to achieve more than our own curiosity. It has been the pinnacle of human development since the beginning of time. My humble adventure began with curiosity about what the Himalayas would look like if I stood among them. It encouraged me to go to the Himalayas and pushed me through all obstacles in life. As long as you have the curiosity to do something new, your life will be an endless adventure.

10. The sight of the Milky way never gets old

The milky way at Machapuchare Base Camp, Nepal.

Last but not least, even though I have seen the Milky Way in its finest in the Himalayas, I was still mesmerized by it months after when I saw it again on Mt Rinjani. Without the light pollution emitted from civilizations, I was exposed to the true scale of the universe. And to think that we are alone in the universe is just stupid when you are staring at billions and billions of stars dancing around before you. That feeling of how little we are never gets old.