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“Addictions can be very, very bad but addiction itself is not bad.
It’s a case of what you’re addicted to.
You better live each day like it’s your last, ‘cos one day you’re going to be right”.
Ray Charles.
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“The difference between a good alpinist and a great one is will. The great climber exercises the discipline required to know themselves. They train to be stronger than they think necessary. On a route they eat to sustain energy levels even if it makes them gag and they drink regularly to stay hydrated.
They stop in the middle of a pitch to pull their hood up if the spindrift gets bad, instead of waiting to reach the belay and they stay dry because of it. They maintain the discipline needed to melt enough ice each night to fill the bottles and they sweep snow out of the tent instead of letting it melt.
They don’t care if their partner's pack weighs less than theirs.
They wake up and start the stove when the alarm goes off.
They fast for a day or two without complaint, to wait out bad weather.
- Ward Robinson leading in the Merkl Gully on Nanga Parbat.
The great climber recognizes when they’re having a bad day and admits it to their partner, then relinquishes the lead when they might slow the team and they follow as fast as they can. But they do all the cooking that night.
Where does this strong will and hardness come from? It derives from recognizing desires and goals and then enduring whatever it takes to fulfil them.
A strong will grows from suffering successfully and being rewarded for it. Does a strong will come from years of multi-hour training runs or do those runs result from a dominating will?
There is no right answer because will and action feed one another”. Mark Twight.
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- "Kevin Doyle enjoying a four year-old Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar recovered from a tattered haul bag found clipped to a piton at 22,000 feet. Barry cut it open without expectation. 60 pitons spilled out, followed by a dozen ice screws, chocolate bars, and at the bottom, two brand new 50 meter ropes. The bag was cached by Tsuneo Hasegawa in 1984.