campfire turn on the try hard image

A little girl came up to me once, and asked if climbing was hard. I replied, “it depends.”

I think eventually, we discover that our heads rather than bodies determine the real grade of a climb. Sure, physical strength and technique improve our climbing, but without learning to harness mental power and embrace challenges, we inevitably set limitations—keeping us from progression.

Thinking back, I wonder if I had told her “no, climbing is easy.” Would she become a fearless crusher? Maybe. But what’s climbing without the internal struggle to accept both the boundless reality of our abilities and the peripheral nature of fear? We don’t climb because it’s easy.


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