ALL MOUNTAINS ARE CLIMBABLE
A friend once told me that everything under the sun is possible as long as there is a human being who has done it before. Be it an incredible invention, be it a business. I took this advice to heart and decided to climb Mt. Muhabura. After all, there was evidence -a six year old boy called Allan and his dad had climbed the mountain a year before and this became my inspiration.
On the morning of 27th July 2008, me and a couple of friends set off for a road trip to Kisoro in the Southwest of Uganda. We had prepared for this journey for almost 3 months.
Preparations were both physical and emotional. We did uphill climbs thrice a week, and we sought advice and listened to stories from friends who had climbed the mountain before us. Stories of tears, broken legs, the biting cold, and most importantly, victory.
We didn’t talk much on the way to Kisoro; our minds and thoughts were filled with the mountain that we were going to face the next day. We were excited, scared and determined all at once.
Very early morning on 28th July 2008 after a heavy breakfast, wearing our heavy jackets, drinks and snacks in tow, we set off for the journey. Almost as soon as we started walking, one of our friends gave up. Although the path to the climbing point was flat, it was rocky and rugged. Our friend saw this and decided that she wouldn’t manage the rest of the trek. She waited for us at the bottom.
I teamed up with one of my friends and stayed close to our guides and the young boys who escorted us. We trailed as we listened to stories of the great mountain, and advice on how to escape wild animals in case they appeared.
We were climbing slowly as snails and one of our friends who was a bodybuilder grew impatient, so he started jogging. We met him further uphill being carried down; he had fainted and nearly got a heart attack before reaching the top. We had been advised against rushing, but he was confident in his fitness, and he underestimated the steepness of the climb.
We reached the top after almost 5 hours and found some of our friends who had walked a bit faster impatiently waiting for us, stating that we had delayed. It didn’t matter to me. The joy of reaching the top was overwhelming and I shed a few tears. It felt like I had won a special trophy even though our group was the very last to get there.
These are the life lessons I learnt about climbing the mountains of life. As long as you have the grit, you will achieve your goals. Never lose your focus. Never compete with anyone; do things at your own pace. Have fun along the way and be your own biggest cheerleader. Make sure you have the right resources (Good health. Good friends. Spiritual guidance…) But most of all, never give up no matter how hard it gets! Don’t listen to the small voices in your head telling you to turn back because it’s too hard and surely, you will make it. When you reach the top, the joy that you feel is unexplainable. But remember to celebrate life and enjoy the small wins along the way!!!
