Enjoying the small things

Mountain sports enthusiasts tend to gravitate towards increasingly bigger and bolder objectives. Trailrunners choosing trails that are of new record lengths, climbers chasing that next grade, alpinists finding that challenging dream route. With part of the appeal of these sports being the physical and mental challenge, it is only logical that we want to explore where our limits are, by pushing the difficulty of our outings.

Though immensely rewarding, continuously chasing "the next best thing" isn't particularly sustainable. In a search of a better balance, I found it inspiring to see how others approach this matter. Some never find balance: Walter Bonatti went "plein gaz" until he was 35, then fully quit professional climbing. Many actively contemplate the role of mountains in there life, I enjoyed reading A Fine Line: Searching For Balance Among Mountains from Graham Zimmerman, in which he beautifully described his own journey as a climber.

One thing I know for sure, is that enjoying the little things in life is always a worthy pursuit. The sun on your skin in the morning, a cup of tea, petting a neighborhood cat. Or, when we stretch the meaning of "little things", a nice ridge climb close to home, shared with a close friend.