Why Do People Climb Mountains?

Sonja, a Project Manager here at TLC, wanted to share her wonderful experience with the art of mountain climbing. Her resilience and determination are qualities that we all wish to embrace in our work and personal lives. Without further ado, here is her experience:

“Why do people climb mountains?

It’s a great physical challenge, you get to see places very few get to see, an incredible feeling of accomplishment, you get to meet amazing people who become friends, and you enjoy the beauty of spectacular views. Climbing mountains teaches you to be positive, patient, and resilient, you get to appreciate the small luxuries in life and understand the meaning and need to protect our environment. All of this feels good.

We (my husband and I) joined this 10-month mountain climbing program (Projectodiezcumbres Milana) because of all these reasons and to share and enjoy an activity we could do together as a couple. The program (located in San Martín de los Andes – Patagonia) includes a mountain hike per month and each climb goes growing in difficulty and intensity (average 2200 mts, Cerro Falkner, Colorado, La Mona, El Mallo, Gran Chapelco, to name a few), ending with the toughest of them all, volcano Lanín (3776 m/12,400 ft).  We started off on our first expedition in March 2020, then came COVID-19, and after a year-long wait we were able to resume the program the beginning of 2021. Some hikes took place mid-winter and involved the use of snowshoes/rackets. Each climb was an adventure, took us to amazing places, and blessed us with beautiful views that inspired awe. Each of these outings trained us and prepared us for the final call. With each experience, the team became stronger and more supportive.

For this 2-day venture we started out at 9 am from the volcano base at 1250 m. Each of us carried a 25‑pound backpack with food, drink, and sleeping gear that grew in weight with each step we took. We reached the shelter at 2300 m at 1pm (photo with TLC jacket!), where we rested, enjoyed the amazing views, and lay to rest around 7pm. Up again at 1:30 am, the image of us lined-up against the starlit sky with headlamps to ensure safe stepping will remain with me as a key memory of this amazing experience. Walk, walk, walk, walk, up, up, up, up, go, go, go, go, and suddenly a fiery red line streaked the rounded horizon telling us daylight was approaching. Oh, the beauty! And more walk, walk, walk, walk, up, up, up, up, go, go, go, go!

We walked on for 4 hours, slowly adapting to the light of day; 3 more to go to reach the summit. We had turned off our headlamps and could now see the tip of the volcano. Mind and body, will and strength, both focused on making each step, the next, and the next. Unfortunately, over the past 2 hours I went from feeling a little queasy to very sick and found it harder to keep that focus. (Walk, walk, walk, walk, up, up, up, up, go, go, go, go!) I kept pushing this feeling aside, telling myself I would make it, but after another hour at 3250 m, the queasiness intensified and I knew I had reached my peak, my personal summit. With the support of our guide and the team, I took the heartbreaking decision to return. The team said they all cried when they reached the summit 2 ½ hours later. So did I.

They told me it didn’t matter that I didn’t get there, that sometimes it takes 5 tries to finally achieve the summit, and that some people never do. It was a hard decision, but one of the mountain-climbing key rules is to know when to stop, and I knew it was the right thing to do. I feel happy with the experience, my 10 peaks, my husband, the team. When I got home, my eldest daughter hugged me tight and said she would like to give it a try with me next year. Maybe, who knows. For now, it feels good!

I am very grateful to my TLC team, to Hana and Nick for making this experience possible, for supporting my project, for giving their blessing and allowing it to take place (due to bad weather our 6-month weekend bookings were accommodated midweek). It was an amazing experience! Thank you all!”