Names, challenges, preparation

Chicken-out Ridge on Mt. Borah - several hundred feet long
Some of the hikes I've taken in recent years included some features along the route with particularly interesting names, such as:
- Chicken-out Ridge (Mt. Borah, Idaho)
- Disappointment Cleaver (Mt. Rainier, Washington)
- The Razor Fang (La Sal Mountains of southern Utah)
Sometimes I wonder if someone comes up with names like this to scare off the crowds and keep the areas more isolated! In each of these three cases, I ended up being a bit unimpressed with the name selection. I felt no desire to "chicken out"; I was far from disappointed when I reached the Cleaver; and I was over and past the Fang almost before I realized it.
Clearly, preparation and past experience make a big difference when considering various obstacles in the mountains. For someone who has previously been in such terrain and is confident about their personal ability, it's "no big deal" - you are cautious, but you're also loving the physical challenge and emotional thrill! But for a person encountering this kind of obstacle for the first time, it certainly can be daunting and even overwhelming.
I think there are several lessons to learn from this example:
1. Experience brings confidence. As we repeat challenging things in our life, we get better at them, and they get easier. Ralph Waldo Emerson supposedly first said this, often quoted by Heber J. Grant: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do—not that the nature of the thing is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
2. Gaining experience sometimes requires pushing limits of comfort. This applies not just to climbing mountains, but also other difficult things we do in life. When we go beyond the familiar into the new and unknown, we have to be willing to take a few calculated risks!
3. Having a mentor makes a huge difference. When I first encounter unfamiliar and challenging terrain, to have someone give me pointers and hints, and to just demonstrate that the challenge can be safely negotiated, makes all the difference in my willingness to try.
I #GiveThanks for many opportunities in life that bring growth, and for adventurous mentors through the years who have invited me to experience new things.

The Razor Fang, La Sal Mountains, southern Utah


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