Inspired by my latest trip up a 12,000ft Mountain
Up with the stars
Illuminate, appreciate, breathe deeply
This is why I climb
Smell of strong coffee wafting
Silent contemplation, sipping cool air and hot liquid
This is why I climb
Trailhead beckons
Time stays timeless, one foot in front of another
This is why I climb
Ascend
White Aspen cut the Black Darkness, standing sentinel
This is why I climb
Dawn breaks
pink, purple, blue streaks painted by the unseen sun as the stars give way
This is why I climb
Air thinning
Mind sharpening, senses dulling, come back
This is why I climb
Purity
Isolation
Calm
This is why I climb
Jagged rocks, dampening socks, ropes through belays
Fear is my companion, Adrenaline is my mistress
This is why I climb
Summit push
False, always another, always over the horizon
PUSH
This is why I climb
Summit
Listen, look, sun above me, clouds below me, a vast canvas stretching
This is why I climb
Descend
Muscles aching, mind longing, heart pounding, feet never stop
This is why I climb
Looking back to see the beast
Something accomplished, to say the least
Every day will now feel sweeter
Every moment will pass completer
Do not relent, Do not give in
Until the mountain calls from within
This is Why I Climb
-G
This poem was constructed as the crew and a few of our beloved guests climbed Humphrey’s Peak, the high point in the state of Arizona at 12,635ft above sea level. As a former volcano, it is one of the more strenuous, rewarding climbs one can do in our beautiful state. We hope you enjoyed The Goat’s original work, and we hope that it inspires you to climb your own mountain!
May The Goat be always with you
For The Goat’s Geologic Musings visit his Personal Blog
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