Sunny day but not too hot. Breezy but not too strong. Perfect one might say. The beginning of something magical in the forest begins as the leaves change color. A happy day for Huntington Ravine on Mt Washington. Requested for this tour by our guest, Redline Guide Mike Maciel (he started it) answered the call. Check out these words and photos, telling the story!
Thank You, Body
One day out on the interwebs I noticed our guest saying she probably couldn’t do something, so I decided to challenge her on it. I told her if she really wanted to finish her Terrifying 25 and get up Huntington Ravine, that we could get her there. She is far from being in the minority, having that sort of self-limiting belief about our ‘hardest trail.’ For most people, that might have been the end of it… I know I can’t do it, so why bother trying? Well… because… what if you can?
I was surprised when she reached out, because again, most people don’t. But our guest says she stubborn, and that can be a pretty good trait for getting things done.
Mountain Goddess was in a bit of a mood yesterday. Cold, windy, morning sprinkles, more than enough to help the doubt creep in. I assured her that if the forecast held true and the clouds burned off that the slab would dry (it did). As we sat near Pinnacle Buttress watching some climbers and discussed this being our go/no-go point, she decided she wanted to press on.
Her takeaway from the day? A new mountain mantra: ‘Thank You, Body.’ Thank you for helping me do these things, even when I’m not really sure I can. That’s the good stuff, and the best kind of day in the mountains. It’s a beautiful thing to see someone succeed, by giving themselves a chance to fail. Great job guest. Don’t stop believing in yourself, or your body, and on the days you don’t… keep being a little stubborn because you’re stronger than you think you are. —Mike M.
