Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation

An interesting article at MNN reports the attempt of a three climbers and photographers to explain why people take great risks to climb mountains. They climbed Meru and made a documentary about their trip. The article is worth reading: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-cultu ... sions-meru

One of the climber's wrote that climbing is a calling and a passion, and likened it to the work of an artist. He added that one must follow the calling in order to be true to oneself. He said he wanted to experience perfection. He said that he enjoys the experience of a journey with his close friends. He said that the result of the climb is a legacy that will outlive him.

Calling and journey are visions of life that are routed in Christianity, especially in Protestantism. The idea that we must be true to ourselves closely resembles an idea of purity or holiness or perfection that has found contemporary expression in existentialism - authenticity. The importance of the experience of closeness with others was also developed in existentialism (as in the I and Thou writings of Martin Buber.) The concern with legacy is associated with a desire for immorality. All of these themes or myths express religious feelings or ideas.

Of course, there are other ways, cynical ways, to read what motivated these climbers, and, as we know, motivates others. Following one's sense of calling, being true to oneself, and seeking a legacy are all associated with egotism and narcissism and vanity. Producing a documentary about one's own climb amounts to taking a grand selfie. This observation also has a religious precedent. Ecclesiastes. All is vanity.

Interestingly, the climber who made the documentary did not mention any desire for oneness with nature or the universe, a desire that more than anything else seemed important to Dean Potter. Still, in the words of these climbers, a desire for oneness with God, or at least with something pure in our hearts, is implied.

The climbers in this story hoped to inspire others to follow their passion or calling, to be true to themselves, to be pure. We hear much of this moral justification for actions in our world now. It is often said that we should live in a way that sets a good example for others to follow. That too is religious. It is connected with the idea of the atonement or what the life and death of the messiah meant in Christianity. It is connected with the view held by many Christians, but not all, over the centuries, that Jesus set an example of morality and religious purity and that by following that example we are made one with God.

It is part of the western tradition to see light and darkness in the power of myth, to see good and evil. We saw a particularly stark view of the power for evil on September 11. What I found quite interesting in Dean Potter's words is that he saw in the myth (the pursuit of oneness) that ruled his own life the power to give life and to take it away. He saw that the myth liberated him from fear and at the same time possessed him as if it were demonic. The three climbers in the MNN article do not see the demonic.

Wildhorse wrote:One of the climber's wrote that climbing is a calling and a passion, and likened it to the work of an artist.

I think it is an addiction, and I say that without any negative connotation. I think the same is probably true of nearly all extreme sports, regardless of whether it is physical endurance or danger or both that makes them extreme.

I could be wrong, but in my experience few people give them up voluntarily. When I had to quit climbing because of knee injuries, I certainly felt like an addict deprived of his stuff, to the best of my ability to imagine what that was like. And I had another insight. I knew I liked climbing because of the exercise, scenery, and camaraderie with some of the best people I ever met. I also liked the sense of personal accountability, the idea that you paid up for your mistakes much more than in the rest of life. But I had always thought that I did not like the danger, that it was simply an unavoidable negative part of the package. After I had to quit, I was no longer so sure of that.

Ed- I love your transparency and lack of pretension, your honest, unvarnished feelings. You sound as real as the earth and rocks of the mountains that are so addictive.

It's not really climbing, but here is a story.

I was referred to a periodontist a few years ago. In his office he had a picture of himself on top of Half Dome. I had hiked Half Dome the year before. We compared notes about the experience while his new dental assistant listened in. She asked in astonishment "Why would anyone do that?" We looked at each other and said in unison "Because it's there."

The motivations are probably not exactly the same for any two people, but there is likely some overlap. Greg Slayden who created peakbagger.com listed these as the top reasons people climb mountains:

Challenge: Climbers want to prove themselves against the mountains and give themselves tangible goals (summits) to see how they measure up.
Exercise: Mountain climbing is a great way to stay fit; those climbers who are not killed in accidents often lead healthy, active lives well into their 80s or 90s.
Social: Climbing is often a group activity and a great way to spend time with friends and family.
Wilderness: Mountains are often in wild, remote areas, and climbing is a great excuse to explore those blank spots on the map and get away from civilization.
Scenery: Mountains are visually stunning places to be, and the views both from the summits and on the way up are often spectacular.
Nature: Climbing mountains provides excellent opportunities to observe plants, animals, birds, geology, and other facets of the outdoors.
Sports/Hobbies: Climbing mountains lends itself to a whole host of fun sports and activities, such as skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, photography, trail running, fishing, base jumping, and others.
Climate: Mountaineering is a great way to increase the amount of wind, rain, snow, and overall coldness in your life, which is often a welcome respite for those from the desert or the jungle.
Inspiration: Sometimes a climber sees a peak and just somehow feels inspired to climb it, especially prominent and striking summits such as the Matterhorn or the Grand Teton.
Existential: Climbing a mountain to get to the top. Or, to quote Mallory, “because it’s there”.

I find a mix of those in my own motivations. I like to test my limits and push them, increasing the knowledge of myself. I like the exercise, the social aspects, and I often find something spiritual, I wouldn't use the term religious, but close enough. I do think climbing very high mountains like Meru (21850') is an altogether different kind of risk than climbing mountains in SoCal. I enjoy measured and calculated risk taking, but with my family as my main concern, I can't imagine taking that kind of risk.

My favorite related quotes:

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”
-- Edmund Hillary

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
-- T. S. Eliot.

"In the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can't."
-- Rusty Baille

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”
-- Frank A. Clark

"Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion...I go to them as humans go to worship. From their lofty summits I view my past, dream of the future and, with an unusual acuity, am allowed to experience the present moment...my vision cleared, my strength renewed. In the mountains I celebrate creation. On each journey I am reborn."
-- Anatoli Boukreev

When I said climbing is an addiction, I was probably referring more to the hold it has on you than the specific mix of motivations. Though I think it tends to be same mix for most people, when you strip out some of the excess verbiage.

I'm not so fond of some of the well-known quotes, given the fates of the authors. Another one I don't like is 'I'm going to climb this mountain or not come back.' I heard that from an acquaintance who was talking about Noshaq in Afghanistan in 1978. He probably made it the summit, but he's still there. An ex-professional football player with a wife and kids.

It is true that there is a higher death rate on big expeditions. Admittedly, they have a higher inherent danger. But I think some component of the higher death rate is due to the big investment made, and the feeling that I won't be back for another try. So you go on even if you feel sick, the weather is bad, there are avalanche danger signals, etc. If you turn back on a mountain in the Sierras, you can be back next week, next month or next year. Not that I ever found turning back easy, it always grated on me, as it does on most people.

Ed wrote:I'm not so fond of some of the well-known quotes, given the fates of the authors.

Yes, many mountain climbing legends died on big mountains. I don't aspire to die on a mountain.

tekewin wrote:Yes, many mountain climbing legends died on big mountains. I don't aspire to die on a mountain.

And some on smaller mountains close to home, after the big-mountain feats that made them world-famous. Louis Lachenal, Lionel Terray, Dougal Haston, Willi Unsoeld. I'm sure there are others.

Like you, tekewin, I have no desire to die on a mountain. But I long ago gave up on the idea that even conservative people playing by the rules, like myself, are completely safe, even in Southern California. Things go wrong, as they do in other activities. A few years ago I was stunned to find out that a woman I knew from the 1970's froze to death on Ken Point, one of the lower peaks of the Desert Divide, in 1994. Vi was highly experienced when I knew her, and she had 16 more years of experience when she died.

My normal viewpoint is that it's a foolish waste of life energy to court unneccessary risks, but on the other hand, for an active,outdoorsy person, dying while climbing or mountaineering (if it happens later in life) is actually a good outcome--compared to the alternative. We've all got to die, the only variables are how and when. For someone who is physical and loves the wilderness, there would be no greater torture than a slow death in a hospital or sick room. Of course, that's assuming some kind of imaginary 'ideal wilderness death' where you die at an advanced age, with all your affairs in order, on good terms with your family, etc. Generally, that's an unlikely scenario. Most of the people who die climbing are in the prime of life with many productive years left, grieving families, etc, and basically it's all a cruel stupid waste. How about this--we leave all the dangerous mountaineering to people who are over eighty?

The quotations that Tekewin provided above offer much to think about.

I have read that an interviewer asked George Mallory why he was attempting to climb Everest, just before his third attempt. He said, "because it is there," and then explained that he was doing it to conquer it and that he saw his conquest as part of the greater attempt of "man" to conquer the universe. It is ironic, to say the least, or fitting, if you will, that on this third attempt, the mountain took his life.

When people use that expression today, it is unlikely to express the same conquest sentiment.

Anatoli Boukreev's expression is more likely to be heard today. With slightly different religious language, Dean Potter said something quite similar. It is also similar to the climber's sentiment in the MNN article about the Meru documentary.

I like the T.S. Eliot quote, about the importance of taking risk. One of my experiences hiking is that I have found that I can go farther than I had thought. And in other ways, I have seen the benefits that come from taking risks. Not just any risk, of course, but some. And not just risk of death, but simply risk of security and failure.

And, I still return to Ed's observation that perhaps he has enjoyed danger in the mountains. Perhaps we all do.

Boukreev, in other writings or comments, said that climbing mountains had become his life, his work. He could not stop. Even those of us who have never attempted the great climbs he did, can relate to this feeling. I know I can. It is not necessary to take great risk to feel this. I feel something like this about Cowles Mountain in San Diego. It is a mere 1000 feet of elevation gain to the summit at 1600 feet, but it is the giant mountain in the city of San Diego, with views to the horizon, out over the ocean and as far even as the Santa Rosas. It is not particularly dangerous, but rescues occur often and deaths too from time to time. I recover my bearings on this mountain.