Patrick, Mountaineering and Ice Climbing Course Participant

Miriam, Mountaineering Course Participant

I wanted to share, over the next few days, what some of the lessons I learned from climbing are.

There is nothing that is truly impossible.With determination, the right tools, the right training, and the right people, you can accomplish anything.

When I began climbing, I remember standing at the base of Route 2 (5.3) at Ralph Stover State Park’s High Rocks climbing area. I had big clunky hiking boots on, and was a bit overweight and probably hadn’t done ANY kind of exercise for a while… and was sure that I’d make it to the top. But much to my dismay, I did not make it more than 5 feet off the ground.

Now, many people may have given up at that point. But I, by nature am a very determined person and did not give up. Yes, on that day, I realized that it was impossible for me to make it to the top. But instead of throwing in the towel and thinking “This is for everyone else…even though I want to do it. I guess it’s not for me,” I went home and gathered up whatever money I had from my job as a waiter, and bought a pair of climbing shoes, a rope, a harness, 7 carabiners, and 100 feet of webbing. Then I bought a book that would teach me how to climb. I poured over whatever material I could find to learn how to do it, and I made sure to ask as much advice as possible from the people who took me out climbing for that first time.

I began to run, do pullups, and lift weights. I began to surround myself with climbers who could teach me, and within 3 months, I easily climbed Route 2 at High Rocks State Park. As soon as I stood on top of that cliff, something clicked. I realized “WOW! It wasn’t impossible,” and from that moment on, I vigorously pursued climbing.

Now I am getting nostalgic and feel like writing more and more. But I won’t say too much more, except that as soon as I got to college, I got involved with Quest, the climbing guiding service at the University and continued to train hard and push myself. I remember saying “Climbing is great! But I’ll never do that Trad Climbing thing. That is just WAY too scary.” Well, within 3 months of being at college, I learned enough about trad climbing that I set out and bought my own rack, and led Route 2 at High Rocks State Park as my first trad lead. One thing continued to lead to another, and I eventually become a climbing guide and coordinator for Quest.

Through the experience I gained in climbing, I also became involved with conducting team building and leadership development programs through Quest and Corporate Institute, and even changed my major to Organizational Communication, with a concentration in Outdoor Leadership.

And here I am today, having started my own climbing guiding and team building company, founded upon the principles and life lessons I have learned through climbing.

So how did all this apply to me starting my own company?

Even though many people seemed to be in my way, and there were SO many obstacles to overcome, never once did I think that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I wanted to make it happen, so I was confident it would.

I made sure to surround myself with people who could help me. Building relationships not only benefited my business, but it also improved my life as I have been able to meet so many people.

I was not afraid and am not afraid to invest in my company. By making my initial investment into climbing, it opened the doors to a whole new world, and the same is true in business.

What might look difficult on the road ahead, only looks exciting to me now. Difficulties and trials only excite me more!

NEVER stop learning. NEVER think you know it all.

]]> http://www.ascentadventure.com/2009/06/reflections-on-how-climbing-helped-me-start-my-business/feed/ 0 http://www.ascentadventure.com/2009/06/mount-kilimanjaro-report/ http://www.ascentadventure.com/2009/06/mount-kilimanjaro-report/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:39:55 +0000 brandon http://www.ascentadventure.com/?p=1345 Here is an interesting an informative video on Mount Kilimanjaro and the condition of the glaciers.

The video helps us to see the impact that global warming is having on this mountain and how it directly presents a danger to the people that depend on the springs and glacial runoff from this mountain to survive.

VIEW THE VIDEO ON HULU.COM: Mount Kilimanjaro Earth Day Report
If you want to see these glaciers before they dissapear forever, come with us next February on the Mount Kilimanjaro Expedition!

Stuart Brown is a proponent of making sure that everyone, adults especially, take time to “play” and do things that are enjoyable and invigorating for them. Without doing this, it doesn’t just lead to boredom, but rather depression and discontentment.

Getting away from cell phones and computers and enjoying the outdoors is the best way to do this. Of course, leisure activities such as video game playing is still relaxing, but until you take action to get away from all things that can distract you, you won’t truly be refreshed.

I often find that when I get away from all the daily responsibilities and demands of running my company, I come back with a renewed vision and determination for Ascent Adventure Consultants success. Often, it can be easy to think, “There’s no way that I can get away….I will miss opportunities.” However, the opposite is true. If you don’t get away every once in a while, you will miss opportunities because you will get burnt out and discouraged.

This coincides with some of the postings we have done last year: Escaping the Normal Routine of Life

Visit our website today to: Take time to play and enjoy life! We only get one life…so make the most of it! Climb some cliffs, hike some mountains, or whatever else you may enjoy!

We have officially launched the most exciting and unique program that we have ever offered…check out the Intro to Alpine Climbing Class.

If you have ever dreamed of standing on top of a snow capped peak in a remote setting, or if your skills are just a little rusty Ascent Adventure Consultants has the course to fit your needs.

Choose from four course lengths: 4, 7, 10, or 13 days. Starting with our four-day basic course set on beautiful Mt. Baker in the North Cascades of Washington State. The first three days will be spent learning the skills that you will need to safely climb in a large alpine mountain environment. We will culminate this portion of the course with a summit attempt of Mt. Baker on the fourth day.

At the conclusion of the 4-day section of your trip, you will be ready to head into the heart of the North Cascades and put your new skills to use on some of the most stunning peaks in the lower 48 states. Each 3-day course section will find us attempting a new summit and learning new skills and techniques. If you are unable to do the entire 13-day course in one climbing season you can do part of the course then complete it the following year.

At the completion of our 13-day course you will have the skill to safely get out into the mountains on your own.

The people that run the site and the blog are rock climbers and avid outdoor enthusiasts. The blog can be found here:

http://www.yogatoday.com/blog/

I have started doing Yoga daily and have watched my balance on the rock dramatically increase, as well as my core strength and flexibility. Go to their site, click “Watch Classes” and there is a class you can watch called Yoga for Rock Climbers. Enjoy! I know that I did! I would love to hear about the results you see from doing yoga…comment below!

Here is a great testimonial from the Mount Washington 09 Trip

Thanks for everything. It was an amazing experience that will surely change my life forever. The trip let me and my dad see and do things that most people will never do. It was amazing. 

Thanks a Ton!

Patrick Begley

Patrick Begley

We began the approach to Mount Washington at Pinkham Notch  early Friday morning, at 6:00am. Apparently, it was the coldest and windiest day they had all year on the Mountain. -5 Farenheit, with 80 MPH gusts at the summit. It made it about a -40 degree windchill! We broke trail that day…no one else was in front of us. After a few hours of hiking and climbing, we passed tree line, where the wind slammed us and made conditions almost impassable. The group was actively checking in on each other, making sure that everyone was feeling ok and staying warm. We had an emergency and had to go back down, and most likely wouldn’t have made the summit that day anyways due to the forecast calling for worse weather later in the day. When we returned to Pinkham Notch Lodge, we saw the weather report for Saturday was for partly cloudy skies and slightly warmer weather.

Saturday morning we woke up at 4:00am and headed out to Mount Washington. What a beautiful day! According to the weather observatory, it was “an unusually glorious day” on Mount Washington. Here is a picture so you can see what I mean: