On Saturday, Wes, Liz, and I did the Mount Baldy Bowl in the snow. I’ve hiked Mount Baldy many times, but I’ve never taken this route. A lot of the snow had melted from last week’s storm, but there was still enough to play in the bowl. I had hopes of climbing something a little more aggressive – a feature on the left side of the bowl affectionately called the “Death Shoot.” Unfortunately, wisdom prevailed and we did the easier direct route.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. In fact, it got pretty warm by late morning and the snow started to get pretty sloshy. Once we made it to the top of the bowl, the view was incredible. From the summit ridge, we could see Catalina Island clearly and we could even see ships on the water. I’ve been to the summit of Mount Baldy many times and I have never seen it so clear.
From the summit ridge, we could see Catalina Island clearly and we could even see ships on the water.
Yes, Wilderness Therapy is a Thing
I didn’t realize how much I needed to get out. It’s been a really tough work month at my job, and I just couldn’t wait to get out in the snow. What surprised me was the next day. On Sunday I got up, still pretty tired from a climb, but it felt so good to be physically exhausted. It was like a detox of all the work stress that had seeped into my body over the past few weeks. The experience gave me a blinding flash of the obvious – physical exhaustion is the antidote to most of my work stress.
So often we get mentally tired from work stress and we think we need to rest. We think we need a “vacation.” More often than not, what we really need is to physically wear ourselves out – to work all the mental stress out with physical exhaustion. Wilderness adventure does this for me.
For me, wilderness is therapy. I can’t wait to get out there again. Next time I definitely want to try the “Death Shoot.” What could go wrong?
…it felt so good to be physically exhausted. It was like a detox of all the work stress that had seeped into my body over the past few weeks.
Elevation Profile
