Grit – Solution Creators who persevere. (S9)
Everybody has goals, and everyone has dreams. Usually these goals are quite lofty in nature, and require lots of effort and perseverance in order to be achieved. These goals also need to be achievable, and if it is, it is up to us to attain them. Perseverance is also known as grit. Grit is the action of sticking to your goal and pushing through pain and discomfort. Grit will lead us to a better place. One particular instance in which I was able to exercise grit, came in october of my junior year. I was given the opportunity to summit the highest active volcano on Hokkaido, Mt. Yotei with 10 of my classmates. The view from the top is said to be amazing. In addition to this view, I was attracted to the fact that this hike was not a day hike, but would take place through the night, after which we would summit at about the time of sunrise. I invested in this hike as not only another summit to add to my checklist, but also a hike to test myself. I bought myself proper equipment, new backpack as well as warm clothes. The mountain itself is split into ten checkpoints along the trail, the top two being above the treeline. The hike itself started around 9:30 PM, and we set off at a nice clip, and we had good conversations and were excited for the summit. However it became pitch black, and after hiking through the dark for an extended peroid of time, it felt as if we were not making any progress. To make things worse, the trail condition was rough, and the ground was damp. I only had the checkpoints to tell me how far we were from the summit. By checkpoint 5 I was fatigued, my backpack felt so heavy, and I drank a whole bottle just to get rid of the weight. At this checkpoint I realized that after this point I could either quit or continue, continuing meaning I would subject myself to further pain. However I knew I would not forgive myself if I just gave up because I was tired. I chose to commit myself so that I could have faith in myself and also prove to myself that I am in control of my will and mind. Through the next few checkpoints, I went one step at a time, at times taking breaks for myself, so I could replenish energy through my caloriemates. At this point sleep deprivation started to kick in, and I fought to keep my body awake. I visualized the sunrise to motivate myself to keep going. At checkpoint 8, it started to rain, and my hiking companions started to express their frustrations. They said that the year before, they had quit, and maybe that was an option this time. After a group discussion, we decided that we would not give in and that we would press forward. Finally at around 4 am, we reached the top of the crater. at the time I didnt feel a rush of satisfaction or a realization of having accomplished a goal, but what I did realize was that It was dark, cloudy and very windy. Sadly, due to the high elevation, a rush of clouds had swept in, making it too dangerous and cloudy for us to see the sunrise. I did however, take a picture of the summit sign and the scenery to document my grit and it is a representation of the effort I put into this grueling climb, On the way down, the sun came out, and I was able to see how high we were. I was able to admire the fact that I had climbed up this whole way. It amazed me that I had survived Mt. Yotei with no sleep, and not to mention, running shoes, as my hiking shoes had broken the day before. I was filled with satisfaction. On our way back from the mountain to the campus, we stopped by an Onsen, where we talked about what we had just accomplished, and whether or not we would do it again. I said I would not do it again, but now that I think of it, It was a great experience, and I feel so proud that I accomplished that hike. Through this experience, I was able to understand how important grit is, first hand. I was able to experience the happiness that came after the hard work that I put into the hard climb, when I looked back and saw the mountain that I had stood at the top of. Nothing can beat the sense of accomplishment I felt at that moment. I would like to apply grit to my studies and try as hard to study as I did, when I was trying to reach the summit. I would like to continue seeking out opportunities outside of my outdoor class, such as in college, to hike and enjoy nature and the effort it takes to be happy,
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Tadashi ShichidaSenior @ Hokkaido International School Archives
June 2020
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