False summits and Persistence

“Should we keep going?”

My dad, two older brothers and I all knew the answer already. We’d backpacked three days and had our mountain legs. We’d hiked 26 miles already and this is where we were meant to camp: soft pine needle-padded ground by a lapping alpine lake.

Except, next door there was a party going on.

Red solo cups. Rave music. They were on a different adventure than us and it didn’t feel right to let the peace and beauty we found in the North Cascade mountains smudged by their revelry.

I slid my arms back into my 40L pack.

This lesson, always be ready to keep going, is something I learned every summer backpacking with my dad and brothers since I was thirteen…

Like that one time we misread the map and discovered we had three more miles until we’d get to water, and we had ran out hours before. I remember I felt like I couldn’t take another step.

But I did.

This rowdy evening was during my 9th year doing a segment on the Pacific Crest Trail and it wasn’t even a surprise or a debate that we would just keep on going.

We clicked on our head torches and left laughing.

We set our tents up in the dark on the Canada-US border that night.

I felt so strong and part of a well-oiled team.

I slept so well.

So what’s this have to do with coaching and sustainability?

Well this is the sort of confidence, comradery and never-giving-up badassness we want you to find in your work. This is what we hope to create inside group coaching for Sustainability Professionals.
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