339 Monday Musings: The Mountain, Rockslides and the Climb

339 Monday Musings: The Mountain, Rockslides and the Climb

He stared at the mountains partly in awe and partly in fear. They stood there imposing their presence to everyone who dared to look at them, not caring for the emperor or the pauper – for they were drunk with arrogance of their steep slopes. The mountains knew that being the emperor or the pauper made no difference to its climb – both would have to make the arduous journey. The difference amongst the status of the climbers was pertinent only to the world out there. He chuckled as he realized this for he had given so much credence to his ambition of being an emperor one day – but that was before he stared at this mountain.

As he grew up he had looked at all the kings and queens of kingdoms small and large and experienced a tinge of envy at some time or the other, wanting to wear their robes, their crowns, and their regalia and be treated with similar sense of veneration by all and one. As he stared at the mountains he was amused at this naivety all those years – for it dawned upon him that in front of these mountains the difference between the courtier and the emperor was meaningless, almost laughable. He shrugged the philosophy and smiled at this own stupidity – right now he did not need philosophy; he needed the strength in his limbs, air in his lungs and courage in his heart. The mountain was imposing.

As he started to walk the partially visible trail up, left behind by the climbers before him he realized he could not rely on the trail alone. Grass had grown around the trail and rocks had fallen over time, making the old trail partially invisible and unreliable. He realized he had to create his own trail up. Mountain slopes can be very treacherous. The slopes change. They change their contours and curves. Old footholds become slippery and new footholds emerge, if only one has the keen eye to find them and the courage to test them for firmness and grip. He had to remind himself constantly that this climb was his climb and not someone else’s. The trails would also have to be his. The thought scared him.

As he kept moving, the sun kept playing hide and seeks with the clouds. In the mountains the sun appeared more flirtatious than it used to appear on the plains. The sun could also be hard on the skin even as the air would be chilly. One could use the momentary shade to comfort the skin. One could also not depend on the sun at all times for its benevolent presence. He would have to climb even when it was dark, pushed by the comfort that it is just a matter of time before the sun would be back. In those moments of darkness the best thing would have been to stay put, rest a while and not try too hard. Waiting patiently is an important part of the climbing. He wondered if he was thinking too much instead of just putting one step forward.

When seen from a distance the peaks were visible constantly to him; he could set his eyes on them and move in that direction. However he realized as he moved up, the peak, the destination would often move out of his sight. It would peep out only once in a while as a reminder as to why was he here. Mostly it was only the next curve, the next ledge, the next boulder that had to be crossed. In a lot of ways the top was irrelevant. The next boulder was. He focused on that as he caught his breath.

He was not unaccustomed to climbing mountains. He had done it before. He could feel his excitement returning from the previous climb but he could also feel his fears returning. He remembered his conversation with the villager in the last habitat before the climb. This mountain was notorious for rockslides. Every mountain has its own tantrums. Some known for steepness, some for slipperiness, and some for no trails - this one was known for rockslides. The villager had told him to be cautious. Look for tell tale signs of an impending rockslide. He had asked him to keep looking for loose rocks, too many small pieces ahead, look for falling pieces of stones, however small. If the small ones are there, the big ones would come soon – that according to the villager was the nature of the rockslides.

“What should I do if I am caught in a rockslide?’ he had asked the villager who looked as someone who had survived many rockslides. The response still rang in his ears. “Once a few rocks start to fall, they have made a way. Once a few have made their way, others will follow. That is the nature of rocks. So if you are caught in a rockslide, there is a rule in the mountains. MOVE. Either retrace your steps or move forward. Never stand still.”

Guru