Switchbacks, Ice Axes, and the Rest Step
Backsliding Is Part of Moving Forward
Climbing - one step at a time. Progress isn’t a straight line.
Mt. Rainier is the highest standalone peak in the continental United States. Glacier-covered with unpredictable weather, it draws climbers from around the world. Some summit, many do not - others perish trying.
You don’t need to be a mountaineer to learn life-changing lessons from Mt. Rainier. Navigating treacherous slopes is like recovery from substance abuse - where every step is a choice between disaster and hard-fought progress.
It also offers real-world lessons for all of us.
Your Journey and Mt. Rainier
Your life, like Mt. Rainier, is a mix of opportunity and challenge. Glorious vistas, lurking dangers, and plenty of in-between - in unpredictable sequence. Every climb includes missteps, satisfaction of moving higher - and rediscovery of yourself and what you’re truly capable of.
What the Climb Teaches
Progress isn’t a straight line. Climbing requires steps in different directions. Take switchbacks, for example - after working across sloped terrain, you switch back, retracing the same route, but this time at a slightly higher level. Back and forth. Over and over.
It’s the only way to move higher. Climb straight up, and you slide back down.
Backsliding is part of the climb, even using switchbacks. The same goes for striving to become your best self. As frustrating as it can be, backsliding is part of claiming higher ground.
The best path is often the longer one. Some routes are impossible, while others are simply too dangerous. Sound familiar?
Conditions change. Winners adapt. During the stormiest periods, trust that things will improve - eventually. And blue skies don’t last forever, so never be overconfident.
Don’t go alone. You don’t summit by yourself - a team of fellow climbers, connected by a rope, is required.
The same goes for recovery - and life. Trying to do it alone is unnecessary, foolish, and destined to fail. Don’t try.
The group experience of a summit attempt begins the day before. A guide says, “Follow me,” then takes off into deep snow at a fast pace.
Soon, another guide intercepts the laggards, letting them know they’re not ready - “come back when are”.
The lead guide eventually stops for training and practice:
Fastening crampons (steel spikes) to climbing boots.
Self-arrest - stopping a slide with an ice axe before it’s too late.
Moving roped up as a team.
Group arrest - preventing a fallen climber from pulling the entire team into a crevasse.
Each wannabe climber must demonstrate proficiency.
Preparation
Climbers pack helmets, ice axes, crampons, and headlamps, food and water. After ascending to base camp, everyone attempts a few hours of sleep.
The sleeping hut is noisy and smelly - filled with farting, murmuring, and the general commotion of discomfort. No one actually sleeps.
The final ascent begins around midnight, when ice is more stable.
Interesting, isn’t it? How some of life’s most meaningful adventures start in the darkness of uncertainty.
Slips and falls are inevitable. Just like in early recovery - and life in general - the key is to get back on your feet right away. The longer you stay down, the harder it gets to rise again.
Falling doesn’t end the journey. Sometimes, a slip jolts you and the surge of adrenaline re-energizes progress.
The farther you go, the harder it gets - not just from exhaustion, but from thinning air.
(Pro tip: This is the opposite of recovery, where the hardest miles tend to come at the beginning.)
Unexpected barriers are part of the climb. Anticipate them when you can, and don’t panic when they appear.
Sometimes, the group must “arrest and recover” when a climber on the rope suddenly slides out of control. Other times, creative problem-solving and teamwork are the only way forward.
Follow Proven Routes
Here’s a big idea most people miss: No matter what you’re facing, someone has been there before. To you - uncharted territory. To someone else - “been there, done that.”
There’s wisdom in learning from those who’ve gone before you.
On Mt. Rainier, proven routes have anchor points drilled into solid rock. Hook on. Use them. What works has been figured out by others before you.
Don’t let pride stop you from being smart.
(Pro tip: 12-step programs exist for a reason. Sponsors exist for a reason. Use them.)
One Step at a Time
In the final hours the slowly rising sun can no longer hide in darkness. And you can no longer move. Your lungs burn and heave. Your brain demands that your body rest. So close - yet so far.
What do you do?
Something Everyone Misses:
Go slower to go farther.
Use the rest step - a specific technique for moving forward.
You can no longer put one foot in front of the other because your feet are too heavy to lift. Instead, slide one foot forward so your heel lines up with the ball of your other foot.
Take a breath. Rest.
Now, do the same with the other foot. Rest again.
Repeat. Over and over.
Using this technique, you can keep moving - long after being certain you had nothing left.
You can’t see the summit because your vision narrowed to a tunnel, like looking through a straw.
And then. It is over. You survived. You made it!
The sun rises in a radiant glow. You stand above clouds, gazing out as far as the eye can see.
The accomplishment forever changes you. You are humbled by the glory of creation. Reborn with a new understanding of your full potential.
Real proof of what’s possible - with the lessons of switchbacks, ice axes, and rest steps.
With love and support,
Craig
Craig A. Williamson
Lessons from Addiction
lessonsfromaddiction.com
