WAVE ~ What did you do?
Lauren ~ For my 50th birthday, I climbed Mount Whitney (which I’ve now done twice), went whitewater rafting on the Gnu River in North Carolina, completed a 12-mile hike through the Havasupai Indian Reservation, and completed the Rock n’Roll Marathon in San Diego in 4 hours and 32 minutes.
WAVE ~ In which order did you do these adventures?
Lauren ~ Hike through the Havasupai Indian Reservation, rafted, marathon and did Mt Whitney last.
WAVE ~ Have you always been physically adventurous or was this a stretch for you?
Lauren ~ I’ve always been physical but each of these adventures were a first for me and each stretched me physically, emotionally and mentally.
WAVE ~ Had you wanted to do this for a long time, or was it impulsive?
Lauren ~ I started thinking about it all when I was 49, about how I wanted to celebrate turning 50. No impulse… all very deliberately planned.
WAVE ~ How much preparation did it take?
Lauren ~ Well, climbing Mount Whitney took six months in planning, largely to obtain access to the trail, which is limited and about 2 ½ months to train for the physical challenge. It’s a three day trip: hike to Base Camp, hike to the summit and return to Base Camp, hike out. The Trailhead is at 8,000 feet, Base Camp is at 12,000 feet and the Summit is at 14,500 feet.
WAVE ~ Did it cost what you expected it to cost? If not, did it cost more or less?
Lauren ~ Well, my planning included preparing for the costs involved as well as training time. So, by the time it was planned, yes, it cost what was expected. There weren’t really any surprise costs after the planning was done.
WAVE ~ Did you ever do it again? Do you plan to do it again?
Lauren ~ I climbed Mount Whitney again the following year and I hiked the Havasupai Reservation again. I’ve run some half-marathons as well.
WAVE ~ Did doing this thing impact other areas of your life? How so?
Lauren ~ Whitney was a major shift. The first time was extremely dangerous and difficult; there was snow in June and the elevation has physical effects that are difficult to prepare for. The trail is steep and treacherous. At the end of the day, our group was exhausted, out of food and almost out of water. My memories of it, even after eight years, are still very vivid.
The real crossroads were facing my own fear and maintaining a sense of loyalty to a team member who was lagging behind. In retrospect, there is very little in life that I need to be fearful of, because I’ve faced death. I had to keep going forward no matter how frightened I was. That’s often true in life; I have to keep going forward because staying put or going backwards aren’t really good options.
WAVE ~ What did you go on to do? Did you then (or do you plan to) make any personal or professional changes that improved the quality of your life?
Lauren ~ Indirectly, it may have impacted me more than I would’ve expected. I can work through fear more comfortably. I know what it takes to commit to a goal, in terms of the team as well as time and money. I’ve since committed to, and completed, my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and now have a full-time position as a Project Manager, with a six-figure salary. I also ran a winning campaign to earn a seat on the Board of Directors for an international organization serving over 200,000 members.
WAVE ~ What recommendations do you have for anyone who is considering a similar sort of trip?
Lauren ~ Own an adventuresome heart. Experience life. Try what you haven’t tried. Experience failure. You don’t have to be perfect. There is so much to enjoy and we can appreciate our blessings more fully. Just do something different! It’s the change that shakes us up. |
