A trek to remember

Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia

May 2023

Trekking Rinjani was one of the toughest experiences I have ever lived. It is a challenging mountain that humbles your spirit. The local people tell you, "It doesn't matter much your level of fitness or expertise; to summit this mountain and complete the trek, you need mental and inner strength." They were right, for this summit and for every battle in life.

Mountaineering is always a mental challenge, pushing you over and over, defying your strength and adaptability. The state in which you start this challenge will greatly define how you can overcome it, just like the physical and metaphorical backpack you carry.

Every step during the next three days was a constant challenge. Among mental battles, physical exhaustion, enormous mileage, tears, sweat, pain, falls, rays of sunlight, incredible landscapes, breathtaking views, and changing environments, I reached the end with a new backpack of hard-earned lessons. I learned to listen better to my body, to self-care, to stop, to live more slowly, to care for my mind and heart, and to feel what needs to be felt. Once again, a wise mountain filled me with beautiful and strong life lessons.

Because on the mountain, once you start, there's no turning back. You keep going, one way or another, but you always keep going. The only way out is to keep moving. Sometimes you need to stop, reflect, feel, cry, scream, fall down, but you always get up and continue in some direction. Return the same way? Start over? A new route? A wrong path? Continue to the end? Change the plan? Whatever you decide, on the mountain and in life, you continue one way or another. So prepare your life backpack carefully, fill it with care for your whole self, for others, for the Earth. Fill it and unfill it as you need along the way.