Small, consistent, incremental changes. The building of habits that slowly, and powerfully, improve our daily lives. This isn’t a post directly related to farming. It is a story of little choices leading to the enjoyment of a grand moment.
Last weekend I decided to skip work, choosing instead to wake up at 3am to climb Mount Meeker. An iconic Front Range mountain that sits at 13,916 feet above sea level. My climbing partner and I left Fort Collins by 4am, hitting the trail by 5:30. Power hiking up forested switchbacks, we were both feeling strong as the sun rose illuminating our mountain goal and its larger partner Long’s Peak. We broke above tree line and began our ascent up a steep valley towards the headwall of Meeker. Hiking turned to scrambling forcing us to use our hands to climb the rocky face.
I was astounded by how my legs felt. Over a year ago I started running at least once a month, usually more. Little by little I extended the distance I would run. Now approaching the peak of training for my first ultramarathon I have been running 30 miles or more per week with runs averaging between 2-4 hours at a time. Facing the headwall of Meeker it was clear how each time I chose to run led to this moment of strength and endurance.
Picking our way across the narrow summit ridge we met two other climbers, one of which just completed climbing the 100 tallest mountains in Colorado. They were continuing their jaunt in the mountains and heading around the west side of Long’s to summit both mountains in a day. It took us all of a couple minutes, and a snack, to redirect our initial goal and tack on a second summit.
The route was tricky, involving lots of scrambling and route finding. Eventually after descending a bit we found ourselves climbing again up towards our second summit. Steadily my hands and feet connected up the steep rock face. My body had never felt stronger. I thought of all those times I had been tired and still lacing up the shoes and running. All those times where a 10 minute mile was the fastest pace I could muster.
Long’s Peak is one of the most commonly climbed mountains in Colorado, averaging between 15-20,000 climbers annually. The trail down was full of folks and we took our time following other climbers. After the steep descent the trail levels for a final 5 miles gently sloping back to the car. Trusting our legs we set off running. Falling forward our minds and bodies naturally comprehended the rocky path. Feet moved around rocks and breathing leveled rhythmically. The ability to chat while running through technical terrain is a testament in how the human body functions. We are creatures designed for movement. By 1:30 we were back in the car and heading home.
I used to think of life as a series of big decisions that shape who we become. Now, I believe life is a consistent thread of small decisions we make throughout our days. The boring choices. Wake up early, or sleep in. Cook food at home, or order take out. Put on the running shoes or the sweat pants. The little parts of each day matter. They are the seeds we sow throughout our lives.
The tiny changes allow those grander moments to truly shine and be enjoyed. If it wasn’t for all those small steps I probably wouldn’t have wanted to add miles to an already large hike. If we don’t clean our garden beds before planting the harvest won’t be nearly as enjoyable. Each choice you make matters and continued positive habits can have huge impacts down the line.
Writing has become another series of incremental progress towards something larger. What peaks the writing will cover is yet to be seen but the consistency of has brought a certain amount of clarity to this year. Thanks to everyone who has reached out, shared, and read
these weekly posts. Your praise and support has helped forge the space to further these modest creations.