Part One: Preparation-A Tribute with Gratitude
Climbing Kilimanjaro for a second time after summiting in
2012 seemed like a crazy idea to many. I
was asked, “Why in the world would you want to do this again?” While summiting
Kilimanjaro was a personal goal, my ultimate goal centered around creating the
space for women to join together as a group in a journey of "being still with a
mile" amidst the spirit and camaraderie of leading from within and leading with
others. Simply stated, a journey of being and growing. What transpired for me were ups
and downs, celebrations and disappointments, and learning. It was hardly the yellow brick road! As I began unpacking from Kilimanjaro both
physically and mentally, it became clear that I had much to unpack from the suitcase. Thus,
I hope you will join me in a journey with a series of reflecting and unpacking.
With any task, preparation is vital. And preparation was two-fold for me, personal preparation and group preparation. I was excited to have eager people who joined She Summits, were ready for a new challenge, wanted to learn more from our expert guide,
Macon Dunnagan, and begin sharing with the other She Summits climbers as we navigated
together the packing list, hiked local trails, got to know each other, and
bounced ideas off of each other. I was
eager to explore the concept of “being still with a mile” as we all prepared to climb Kilimanjaro. From my previous experience, developing camaraderie
was a huge benefit in the preparation process for a group.
I felt like my personal preparing and training would be
seamless with the experience of the first climb behind me. But, it was quite the contrary. Personally, my life was moving at warp speed
and the amount of time I had to train could fit through the eye of a
needle. With two months to go before
leaving, I found myself in a panic to get in better shape, increase my strength,
and push my cardio limits. I will
forever be grateful for the wonderful people at The Exercise Coach in
Charlotte. They walked alongside me with
the most efficient training regimen. It
truly was the biggest bang for my buck. In
addition to a weekend hike, my training was only twenty minutes a day twice a
week with machines and weights coupled with twenty minutes a day twice a week
with cardio. Pete and Cat would greet me
with a smile and ask me about my energy level before beginning a workout. The machines were programmed and customized
to my ability and would stretch my limits accordingly. I remember one day not feeling too hot. And Pete, with my permission, said he wanted
to push me. After all, I probably
wouldn't be feeling too hot at some point on the mountain. I finished the workout breaking several
personal records! He not only pushed me,
but also pointed out a very important lesson to me. He said, “You are stronger than you think you
are.”
I held his encouragement very
close to me.
When I faced doubt on the
mountain in any situation, I remembered Pete’s words.
They were comfort, support, and
strength.
The preparation with The
Exercise Coach paid off.
Each day on the
mountain, my muscles felt alive and strong and my cardio level was greater than
the first climb.
I was thrilled when I
put my head on my make-shift pillow of a rolled up jacket each night that I was not
aching with pain.
It was invigorating to
explore the campsites after completing the daily hikes.
In my previous climb, I chose to forego afternoon hikes to conserve my
energy.
I was eager for summit night and
to zip up in the new parka the folks at The Exercise Coach gave me.
I felt as if they were on the climb with me.
Ironically, his words proved the most valuable with the mental rather than the physical aspect of the climb.
“There” is only “here” for the moment and the lessons along
the way last a lifetime. This became my
personal quote. No matter what we do
well or if we fail, the experience simply becomes a memory. And I learned three lessons from the
preparation phase of the She Summits journey.
First, sufficient might be good enough, but efficiency is the best
plan. Second, you are stronger than you
know, so push it! And third, "be prepared." Borrowing the scouts motto, be prepared, both physically and mentally, my mindset was to do the right thing at the right time. Leadership involves being prepared and always considering what is right. Personal leadership is about what is right for me while leadership within a group considers what is beneficial for all. Preparing for my second climb was the preliminary work for some of my biggest leadership challenges while climbing majestic Kilimanjaro. Unpacking: Part Two coming soon...
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