Even with the most detailed of plans, to survive in this world we must relax and embrace the uncertainty.
I had detailed plans to hike the summit of the San Jacinto Peak this past weekend. The views from the peak was described by John Muir as the most sublime spectral to found anywhere on earth. I had full intentions on getting to to top and experiencing the views with my own two eyes. After 3 weeks of planning, reading blogs, articles and other people’s experiences I could not wait to get on the mountain. I traced out the route we would take to the top, packed all of our gear and headed out.
My brother and I arrived to the Ranger station just before noon to file our permits and we would be informed that with the last rain fall, the road to get to our planned trail head was impassable. We modified our ascent plans of the summit on the spot and kept moving forward. We filed out our revised trip plans and headed out. We started in with a beautiful sky overhead and snow intermittently scattered on the trail.
About one hour into our hike the snow was getting thicker and the trail was covered in snow and we had to decide, do we turn around here 
or do we try and still find our way up the mountain. Being proficient with the use of a map and compass we pressed on and continued to navigate higher up the mountain. We continued to tread through the thick snow, trying to not break through the crust of the snow, sinking in about 2 feet every time the snow gave way. As the sun began to fall I stopped, looked back at my brother and said “I think we need to call it…” Not liking to give up we had to weight the options. If we continue on we could get lost in the dark and we would be exposing ourselves to unnecessary risk. If we stopped and set up camp, we could face fines for camping in an area not sanctioned for over night stay. Once again embracing the uncertainty of mother nature we calmly we made our decisions.
We would safely make our decent the next day, calmly and still having a great experience. I attribute the positive experience solely to the attitude we approached every obstacle with. Knowing that nothing was under our control and being at peace with it is what allowed for the clear and calm decisions to be made on a trip that could easily have brought on frost bite, injury or getting lost in very low temperatures. We changed plans about 5 times keeping everything fluid and ever evolving. I try and adopt this mindset on a daily basis. Prepare for the next move without any attachment. Staying in the moment, appreciating natural beauty and how it can coexist so closely with fear and danger. In life most of us find comfort in control, having power over a situations is easy. Growth is experienced beyond our limits of comfort and control.