Perception

The Wednesday before we left for J-Tree several of us went to the Reel Rock Film Festival. One of my friends that went with us was Michelle. She had never been to one of these climbing/outdoor festivals so I was hoping she would have a good time. Michelle is a little reserved. I can never tell when she is enjoying herself when I am around, or if she is thinking "I need to have Brett's head checked. Why does he insist on hanging out with this idiot?" I asked Brett on the way to California what Michelle had thought of the films. Her one comment that really stuck out to me was "she felt sorry for Ueli Steck because his whole life was climbing mountains." He was featured in one of the films. He was shown running, yes running, up the summit ridge on the Eiger. He spent everyday training to be in the kind of shape it takes to be able to solo these alpine peaks in hours instead of days. The reason I remember her comment, and that it made an impression was while she was feeling sorry for him I was thinking "how can I live that life?" All a matter of perception.