I Went to the Mountains to Find Out What I Was Capable of With People I Trust. Here Is What I Found.

Before we entered the John Muir Wilderness we stopped at the trailhead. 5 of us. We set intentions at the entrance. Not goals. Intentions. What we were going to leave behind on this mountain. What we were going to carry forward.

I left behind fear. I brought forward faith. That life will work out. That it has and always will.

Then we put on our 40 pound packs and started climbing.

Day 1 - took us over a 12,000 foot pass on trail. We found our first campsite at 11,300 feet next to a waterfall overlooking a pristine High Sierra basin.

Day 2 - no mapped trail. We scrambled and bushwhacked through boulders and brush to the top and descended into the Palisades basin. Our guide, the youngest of the group and carrying more wisdom per year than anyone I have met, made a suggestion. Instead of attempting Mount Sill, we spend 36 hours in solitude. Alone but within earshot.

It was met with relief.

Those 36 hours were among the most present I have ever been. Wildflowers through alpine meadows. Swimming naked in a glacial lake. The most beautiful sunset I have ever seen closed the day.

When we came back together we sat in a circle and shared what we had found in our solitude. We acknowledged each person. That conversation continued the entire way back to civilization, all the way to the car we had left 4 days earlier.

On the final morning one of our men woke up sick. Altitude sickness. Barely able to walk. Dizzy, nauseous, an intense migraine. He needed lower altitude immediately. We were still deep in the Palisades with 2 days of terrain between us and the car. We made a decision without much discussion. We were doing it in 1 day.

We divided his pack between us and started moving. At times we pushed him uphill. Step by step over 2 passes, stopping often for water and food. His effort was heroic. He stumbled and kept going.

We got him down. When we reached the car he was emotional. Grateful. By morning he was in the ER. He is doing much better now.

This man has opened more doors in my life than almost anyone. Watching him refuse to quit on that mountain - I will not forget that as long as I live.

We went to the Palisades to find out what we were capable of with people we trust. We found out.

We celebrate each other in success. We carry each other in hard times. What we built on that mountain is not a memory. It is a bond. Brotherhood forged in altitude and adversity and the very specific kind of love that forms when men show up for each other without hesitation.

I left fear on the mountain.

I brought faith home.

And 5 men who will carry each other for the rest of our lives.

What have you left behind lately? And what did you bring forward?