Ever-Quest

Well the new year is here and we all know what that means... Resolutions! The idea has somewhat lost its meaning in the traditional sense, mainly because it has become exactly that. A tradition. When you do something year-in, year-out without giving it much thought it either becomes a cherished part of your life or it withers into a token gesture against what it once was. 

To try and avoid my resolutions becoming something in the back of my head that nags at me without ever spurring me to action, I try to stay creative. Last year I didn't really make any goals for myself. I had just completed a year long quest to go on one adventure each month for the entire year and I felt that my success had warranted a year of doing whatever I wanted. The end result was an even more adventurous year than the preceding one. The lesson there is that resolutions have a way of ingraining themselves into your life if you keep up with them for long enough. 

I guess that's the point. You choose something you want to be a part of who you are and you do it for so long that it becomes second nature. Now that I am living in BC and have ready access to mountains there is something I would like to try. In the true spirit of adventure and outdoorsiness, and inspired by the 12 year-old inside me who never quite learned how to give up on his dreams, my new year's resolution is to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest. 

Granted, it won't be in one go. It couldn't possibly be, considering that Everest itself is a solid 30% taller than the highest mountain in North America, but climbing it in pieces seems like a safe and fun way to make mountaineering more of a fixture in my life. From the hilltop on which I live, on a clear day, I can see at least one peak over 10,000 feet/3,048 meters so that will make up a big chunk of the Everest goal. The rest will be filled in by the smaller 5,000-8,000 foot (1,524 - 2,438 meter) peaks with countless hiking trails that criss-cross the lower mainland.

I'm sure I will have help in achieving this goal from my Ontario friends who have vowed to come visit and from my new friends here in BC. One thing I know for sure is that even if I fail, I'll have one hell of a good time trying. Mount Everest is officially 29,028 feet/8,848 meters tall, so I certainly have my work cut out for me, but in my experience I have found that the loftiest goals are the one's that are the most worth achieving. 

Best of luck to you and yours in 2012.

-Steve