Story-Telling

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“Life is not measure by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou

I met my friend Phil on the side of Mt. Rainier in the middle of the night 20 years ago. The group I was with was just crawling out of our tents to get ready for a summit bid. The group he was guiding had started 1,000 feet lower down and was passing by on their way to the upper reaches of the mountain. He gruffly joked with me, “Keep that tent open, I think I’ll just crawl in and sleep awhile.”

Phil is a very accomplished climber and mountain guide – the first American to climb the north side of Everest, the eighth person to climb to the highest place on each continent, over 500 (I think) ascents of Mt. Rainier. But one of the most noticeable things about him is his ability to tell stories.

It seems like mountain climbers and story-telling often goes hand in hand. Probably because there is a lot of down-time waiting for the right time to summit. On our way to Everest base camp in 2001, we would trek one day and rest one day so that the group of 5 people who would be climbing Everest that season could acclimatize. On the days off, we’d just sit in the mess tent, play cards and tell stories.

Blogging reminds me of that. I’ve been blogging every day for over 6 months. The other day reading this blog post about lessons learned in marriage and parenting a special needs kid by Ab, I realized that blogging is part of my self-care. It’s a way of processing and sharing the things that I want and need to learn from. But it’s also just daily practice in telling a story.

On every trip I’ve done with Phil I’ve noticed how deep his relationship is with the people his climbed with over and over again. I’m thinking about a really nice man from Michigan that we climbed with both in Nepal and Peru, that Phil used to joke, “I keep saying to Bill that he reminds me of a helicopter. Just looking at him, it doesn’t look like he should be able to climb, but he does!”

Phil is now 70 years old and doesn’t climb much any more. But when I’ve visited with him over recent years, I’ve found that telling stories is a way to bring what means most alive to the fore. May we all live our best stories and then tell them again and again to celebrate where we’ve been.

16 thoughts on “Story-Telling”

  3. “It seems like mountain climbers and story-telling often goes hand in hand . . . blogging is part of my self-care. It’s a way of processing and sharing the things that I want and need to learn from . . . I’ve found that telling stories is a way to bring what means most alive to the fore” . . . You’re reading my mail Wynne 😊

    After nearly 80 years on the planet, the elevation of the mountain cathedrals I’m still able climb up among has lowered considerably, but it’s there my soul finds it’s peace, and sharing those stories and photographs of His creation I’m blessed to experience revives “…what means most alive to the fore”.

    Thanks Wynne.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the photos and stories you share, Fred!
      Living where you do, I can only imagine all the mountains you’ve climbed and things you’ve seen. I’m grateful to be able to experience them vicariously and share in what means most with a fellow climber and storyteller!

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  4. I hope you will share more about your climbing adventures on this blog. What a life changing thrill that must’ve been!

    And thanks for the shoutout. 🙂 I have to agree with you the blogging provides a wonderful opportunity for reflection and through living your stories again, it brings a new perspective, a closure and a feeling of gratitude.

    I’m always appreciative of people who tell great stories, such as yourself, and it sounds like your climbing friends have done that for yourself as well!

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  6. I know you’re right about this. My grandmother was the storyteller in our family. She told stories about the 1930s, mostly when my mom and her 3 sisters were growing up during the Depression. It’s amazing how much joy can be found during a time of such despair.

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