A view from the top

I wish I could be more timely with my posts but better late then never

So two Saturdays ago I was invited to join my dearly beloved Drewbear on a climb up Quandary Peak up in Breckenridge, CO. It was a spectacular day! The weather was warm, bright blue skies, and the snow was deep but not so hard to trudge through. It was a 14er and probably one of the most beautiful mountains I've been on so

far. Also joining us was my lovely friend Hilary who also tackled the mountain like a champ.

This hike was different then what I was use to. I had snowshoes on the whole way up which added a bit of challenge to endurance because when my legs got tired the shoes would catch on each other. I've been training at Red Rock Amphitheater for a couple weeks now running stairs and eating lots of protein so my and my endurance were both in tip top shape to reach the top. I also discovered a way of climbing mediation while on this climb. At one point I became tired and was getting frustrated with having snowshoes on. I simply closed my eyes and began to pray and reflect and zone out of the pressure being put on my body and concentrate solely on connecting with the mountain I was on. When I opened my eyes I had gone so far it was incredible. It sounds crazy, but totally true and honestly enlightening. A friend asked me recently if I was religious and I answered no, I'm spiritual. I believe of course greatly in a Creator God who put those mountains there and gave me the ability to climb it. But I believe in energy and spirits of nature and climbing Quandary gave me an opportunity to really let go of my own mind, relax, and connect with good energys on the mountain. It was a really beautiful experience to free your soul, let your body do the mechanical work of putting one foot in front of the other but allowing yourself to connect with all that is around you. I love this quote I heard once, "I am a part of all that I have met" and I believe that means the natural world as well as the human race. Anyways I definitely kept my eyes open at the top as I looked at the miles and miles of blue and white peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

There are really three main reasons why I like to climb so much..

1. The view is amazing the whole way up and best at the tippy top

2. The challenge of pushing your body is the best way to free your soul

3. The people you meet along the way

As I was hiking up this 14er I went off by myself to take in the experience and really focus on being on the mountain. One point I ran into two guys who stopped to chat with me. I just liked the one man's comment to me.. "keep on smiling and having a good time because it's all up from here" I think that's a good motto for life in general. Smile.. have a good time.. it's all up from here.Hiking really does free my soul, recharge my batteries so to speak, and reminds me that reaching the top is only a bonus.. it's the journey that's most important.

It was about a five hour round trip for the day. We started out slow in the morning because we were a large group but soon my friend Hilary and I broke apart and reached the top on our own. Drew, who we started out the climb with, stuck with the group like a good leader. I had such a great time being on the mountain with them and have just been so excited since for the weather to start clearing up so I can start hiking on the weekends again. I've been doing some indoor climbing recently and hope to begin starting to attend a Wednesday night climbing group that goes out around Golden to climb outdoors, it sounds like so much fun! I've noticed that since I've moved to CO the thought of sitting around kills me. If I'm not climbing I'm running miles and stairs and if I'm not doing that I'm snowboarding or hiking mountains. I love being out and I'm so glad I went up Quandary. It just my blood flowing.. literally.. but most importantly for doing Longs Peak this summer. Longs is probably the hardest climb in Colorado from what I hear but is definitely on my goals for this summer.

So other then conquering mountains I've also started my new job. I'm very blessed for this opportunity and I'm really praying hard that God would give me the heart for the work. I'm a production coordinator for a corporate video company. I love the people I work with but I am struggling with the work itself. All my life I've been very outreach focused and my video production background has always been focused on humanitarian efforts, politics, social justice, and grassroots outreach. My new job requires me to think money, marketing, business, ROI, target audiences, lead generation........ what a headache! I feel so exhausted by the end of the day from sitting in an office and trying to push myself to think like a business person. The guys I work with hired me for a reason but I have to keep reminding myself what that reason is. I know I deserve this position and I truly believe that this is going to really mature my abilities and help me along my own pursuit of owning my own company, but until I reach that point I need to keep coaching myself a long and pushing myself to find a passion for what I do. But I won't give up on my ideas and beliefs that's for sure. I believe I am going to start teaching at Red Rocks Community College in the fall. Who would have thought I would be teaching at the college level one year out of college.. I guess it was the inevitable since I taught while I was a student. Well I'm going in on Friday to discuss specific classes but I hope to teach documentary production and/or video 101. I believe this opportunity will enable me to do my own productions with resources and networking I can acquire from working with a college.

So hopefully next time I write I can be more specific on becoming Professor Anne. I'm also started to look into moving out on me own.. dun dun dun! Except I have no furniture or kitchen stuff or bathroom stuff.. so if you come to visit bring a mat or sleeping bag, I hope you don't mind eating food that doesn't need to be cooked.. and bring your own towel :) Either that or craigslist's free section is going to be my new bff and nothing in my place will match. Either way I'm really starting to feel that I need a place of my own. I love love love my family for allowing me to move in with them but I like the idea of having a place of my own. With that being said.. I'll leave you with this to ponder..

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet" - William Blake

It doesn't mean mountains literally (to me) but upward challenges that require us to train our minds, bodies, and spirits, prepare for anything that'll come our way, concentrate on the here and now, be determined when the going gets tough, set goals because if you don't you're bound to give up, and taking the time to enjoy the view the whole way to the top!

love love love