Remember this when you set your New Year’s goal. The journey to achievement can be messy and frustrating, but the moments leading up to attainment build strength. Accomplishment of small feats makes the journey worth it:

Pictures of us at the summits of each mountain we climb are treasured rewards. Our friends and followers always see these really cool mountain-top photos (and yes, they are pretty rad), but what leads up to these photos is many times a neglected thought. We wish we could portray the journey to the top beyond the proof that we got there (and we may try to in the future).

Generally, I am wheezing or out of breath, trying to naturally control my asthma by focusing on controlled breathing. Chris is usually ahead of me as he is faster, and Raya most days does double what we do because she circles back for us so many times. My mind plays tricks on me and makes me believe that I spotted a sign for the alpine zone just ahead when I am not even halfway up the mountain! And I climb, and climb, and climb, tripping on roots & rocks, sometimes cursing under my breath, when I am feeling extraordinarily challenged. There are times that we ask each other, “Why do we do this to ourselves?” and everytime we chuckle or catch our breath, smirking from the corners of our mouths because we damn well know why.

To us, it’s worth it, we crave it fiercely. Even the achey knees, tight, sore ankles and hips, the slow moving days in the week following a trip. We cannot imagine our lives without this. It is addicting. We connect and share a mutual passion on these trips. We leave behind what doesn’t matter or the things that try us, and become fully present and aware. And at that moment when we’ve reached the top, we’re awestruck & elated. We’ve proven the power of our strength & endurance to not only each other, but ourselves, our biggest critics and doubters.

The summit isn’t my only reason for enduring. The journey offers just as much in its teachings. My point? Photos like this are such a small piece of what leads up to these moments. As an outsider, I can imagine the desire to partake, but having gotten to know the mountains from the inside out, I realize that the journey in its entirety can and will challenge you in a way you may have never experienced.