The dominion we have over the world and nature are narratives often written by us to make us feel empowered and in control, where in truth our scale and stature in this world and time is small. This doesn’t make us weak or insignificant, as the way we connect with the world and all that and those in it with the time we have eternally leaves the touch of our existence within and upon it.
At times, by acting or simply standing in awe we can advance ourselves with the humility needed to near our passion driven dreams and also further connect us to the universal and tie us to everything we witness and even that which we believe we are unattached from in this life.
Our first rotation up Everest took us through Camp 1 and 2 reaching nearly 23,000 feet. We beheld the massive mountain making a snow covered tent seem miniscule and stopped to soak in Everest’s summit serenely standing still thousands of feet above us with clouds caressing it. We ascended and descended vertical ice and snow walls, digging crampons in and using ropes to navigate our way through a maze of natural obstacles, literally tying us to the glacier and mountain and symbolically tethering us ever more to this place and one another through this shared experience.
Safely back in Everest Base Camp now for some needed rest, I do not look at the mountain nor those around me the same. We exposed ourselves to Everest with humbleness and made ourselves vulnerable to its dangers – and will many times more before the end of May – but because we put ourselves in the position we did we eternally now are a part of this place and all those who have known or know of this sacred and special site.
