Hi Friends:
It’s funny how things in life turn out so very different than what was expected.
When I first signed up for the climb, I had no idea what I was getting into. To be honest, I thought it was going to be another challenge that I would cruise through and conquer without a problem.
I really had no reason to suspect otherwise. I talked to so many people from all different backgrounds that had done the climb, and every one of them said something to the effect of "yeah! I had a blast!" Not once did I hear them make mention of the TORTURE PART! Yeah, that’s right… TORTURE!
I figured it would be, you know, a fun little 7 day camping trip with some friends. I figured I would just borrow a bunch of old stuff and that quality didn’t really matter. No worries.
But then something changed.
6 or 7 days before Lauren and I were to depart for London, I started getting a sneaking sensation in my gut that maybe I should look into it a little more, perhaps dig a little deeper and see whether maybe there was something I wasn’t quite understanding. As I pondered, the sneaking suspicion turned into a full-fledged, “holy moly, this is actually the real deal! It’s climbing a mountain for Pete’s sake!”
I turned that gut instinct and dire warning into action, when I considered the most qualified person I knew to help me. Who could it be? I thought… ahhh! (lightbulb)… BETSY! She really was the most out-doorsy person around, having logged a lot of miles out there in the world, hiking and exploring. She recently went on a lengthy trek of Peru and was as prepared as a Girl Scout.
So, I sent her my kit list and right away she knocked some good sense into me. She said, “you know Jules, just because you’ll be at the equator, doesn’t mean that it can’t get pretty darn cold!"
Armed with her feedback and advice, I gathered my gear and laid it out on the floor, checking items off the list as the pile grew. It was in such a moment of organization when I got the awful news.
