The Great Ascent

The Great Ascent

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

In Seattle, Washington, where we live, on a glorious sunny day you’ll often hear someone say: “The mountain is out.” Every Seattleite understands the meaning of this declaration, because we all know that the majesty of snow-capped Mt. Rainier is dominating the southern skyline. Of course, some among us do more than admire it from afar. They climb it. They take on the highest volcano and largest glaciated mountain in the contiguous United States for an up-close look at this alpine giant famous for its pristine wilderness. It’s a challenge for even veteran climbers.

Few people know it better than Lou Whittaker. He’s climbed it countless times and led numerous expeditions to the summit for most of his life. Lou also led the first all-American team to the summit of Mt. Everest in 1984, and this experience provides a useful lesson for all of us.

After months of grueling effort, the lesson occurred when five members of the team reached the final campsite at 27,000 feet. With 2,000 feet to go, they met in the crowded tent. Whittaker had a tough decision to make: he knew how highly motivated all five climbers were to stand on the highest point on earth. But two would have to go back to the previous camp, load up with food, water, and oxygen, and return to the camp where they now met.

After completing this support assignment, these two climbers would be in no condition to go for the summit. Two others would stay in the tent that day, eat, drink, breathe oxygen, rest, and go for the summit the next day. Whittaker decided he’d better stay at the camp to coordinate the team’s activities. When asked why he didn’t assign himself the summit run, his answer reflected true character, “My job was to put other people on top.”

How did he pick the others’ roles? He decided the tougher of the two assignments—returning to the previous camp and ferrying supplies to the final camp—should go to the stronger climbers. The two weaker climbers would rest, renew their strength, and receive the glory of the summit.

That’s not a bad lesson for couples. When was the last time you went out of your way to make sure your partner got to the proverbial “summit” before you did? That’s love.

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.

—Sir Edmund Hillary