Bridge Mountain

The Bridge Mountain trail is beautiful. There are wonderful vistas of the surrounding mountains as well as Las Vegas in the distance.  Initially, we anticipated the hike to be 2.2 miles to the peak, but later discovered the marker may have measured this distance to the end of the trail -  it’s at least 1.5 miles further of slow-moving, scrambly trail and route-finding.

This is a beautiful hike, but not simple hike.  There are many areas of scrambling over sandstone outcroppings and up and down stone crevices.  It’s an adventure for sure.  You may be wondering at this point, why is she talking about a hike in a blog about preparing for the Silverman?  Well a number of reasons:

1. Adventure fitness is definitely going to figure into my long term training goals.  I love outdoor adventure sports like hiking, kayaking, backpacking, mt. biking and more.  One of the main reasons to commit to an event like the Silverman is to develop an improved fitness level, and for me, this means being able to climb mountains more quickly, easily and farther.

2. From afar, Bridge Mountain looks impossible to do with ropes and gear. But my friend Ian, just kept saying, “Wait until we get closer, you’ll see that we can do this.” (Our goal is the highest point of the dome portion of the mountaing.) As we approached, the mountain still looked too vertical to possibly conquer easily.  It was only as we stepped up to the base of the mountain where you could see it; a sloping crevice in the rock ascended up the side of the mountain that hikers for slowly picking their way down. No technical gear necessary.  This is a great metaphor for anything challenging in life.  If you look at your goal and say, “no that’s not possible,” you may turn back before you find the way.  However, if you keep looking forward with your sights set to your goal, you may come of the base of your mountain and find a way up.  It may feel a little exposed, it may seem a little challenging, but the way is there.  This is similar to the Silverman or Bust challenge really.  The task looks huge. It looks nearly impossible, but if we keep going, keep pushing just a little further each time we train, we may find that our limits are jreally ust perceived limits and we are capable of so much more!

Seemingly impossible climbs turn out to be quite simple.

3. Today’s hike had many challenges.  Usually when I start to feel out of breath; or my body starts to hurt; orI know there is a much longer way to go, I will  begin muttering short mantras to myself like, “Every day, I’m getting stronger and stronger.  Every day, I’m getting better and better.  Every day I’m getting faster and faster.”  Really the list goes on with any positive reinforcement I can dream up.  Today, I added a new one, ” Silverman or Bust!”

Silverman of Bust is going to be a challenging journey, but a wonderful one.  No matter how high that mountain appears, I’m going to just keep moving forward, knowing that the path will appear before me as I get closer and closer.  Remember, though.  This applies to you as much as it applies to me.  You only have to decide and commit!

Silverman or Bust!!

Silveman or Bust!