The Cure Has Begun: How a 14er and a Campfire Changed My Perspective

A first-time 14er climb with Summitwise became more than a mountain ascent — it became a journey inward, revealing the freedom found in letting go of self-reliance.

During a Summitwise mountain retreat, one participant found that the hardest climb wasn’t to the summit — it was inward.

Around a quiet campfire, he discovered that his greatest strength, self-reliance, was also his greatest limiter. Like C.S. Lewis’ Eustace, he began shedding old layers and learning the freedom of not carrying it all alone.

I had wanted to hike a 14er for many years.  Not exactly sure why, yet I could not deny the desire.  For the first few months of 2024, I found the longing increasing to a point where I began researching different options.  Of course, I had never done anything like that, so I also knew I needed help.  Imagine my surprise when I was soon presented with the opportunity to do so – and with the full logistical support of Summitwise.  I knew little of the organization, however I had a high trust level for the person encouraging me to join them – and so I did.   The experience itself was tremendous.  Outstanding logistical coverage by good people committed to our group, and the ascent was truly memorable.  However, it was the time in camp that had (and still has) the biggest impact on me. 

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While sitting at the campfire, I realized that some of my greatest strengths – self-reliance, resiliency, and steadfastness – were also limiting me in significant areas of my life.  I was reminded of something my dad first told me; one’s greatest strengths, when carried to an extreme, often become liabilities.  It was then that I began a second, more fundamental ascent – a climb towards understanding what it looks like to not constantly be my own rock. 

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It’s a process, of course, and the work continues over a year later.  It reminds me of Aslan’s unlayering of Eustace the dragon in C.S. Lewis' book “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”.  It has not been easy, yet the reward has been respite from the constant pressure and weariness inevitably produced by the false belief that I must carry it all alone.  There is more unlayering to come, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s welcomed.  There will be relapses – moments that I pick up the lie that I must rely only on myself. Yet in the words of C.S. Lewis, 

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"It would be nice, and fairly nearly true, to say that “from that time forth Eustace was a different boy.” To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But most of those I shall not notice. The cure had begun."

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Thank you, Summitwise, for playing a role in my journey.  The cure has begun.

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