The difference between Wishful Thinking and Work is not Attitude. It is not in the quality of Imagination. It is a Plan. Jet propulsion is potential until it lifts off the launch pad. I do a lot of Work without getting Ready. This wastes remaining fuel I need to get to the moon.
When I get Ready to Go shopping, it works best if I have a list. When I get Ready to climb a mountain, it works best if I have a list. My list is my Plan. It’s my map. My compass. If it doesn’t work, I make a more detailed list. When I Work with my Heart I get Ready with patience. It’s the whole list.
Each climbing team and Cult of One ascent group has Knowledge of who they need on their team. This is not Emotional Intelligence. It is Intelligence by Gestalt.
There’s a weatherman with Deep Reading Techniques. He can foretell within a few hundred feet in Time. He has courage. He tells you when Destiny is at Work on the Mountain.
Intelligence by Gestalt installs a navigator who needs no compass, no map or familiarity with the mountain. Knowledge of Time and Space is essential. A compass, map and experience are bonus. Experience only hurts when it teaches you Nothing. What is Missing may hurt longer. Time investment derivatives may require professional advice. Do not attempt alone above 12,000 feet.
The Blue Sky of Heaven meets mountain peak. This is a Meeting of Heaven and Earth. Materia of the world forms. 
This requires a logistical specialist for coordination. And where there is materia there is Work Moving Matter (WMM) and a porter for hefting those loads up the mountain keeps broken backs happy. It is preferable if this entity is a geologist and expert in the physics of snow.
It is spiritual mountain etiquette to bring back shells in same condition they ascended. Internal mountain & emergency medicine critically different than sea level. Convenient for aesthetics if this person is a chef, too. Healing herbs, nutrition and such.
For posterity, a photographer is useful.
Mt. Adams spoke to me about my cognitive and neuromuscular skills at higher altitude. (a) Will work with Dave and Thayne at Body link to devise a 20 minute routine of hand and finger exercises
(b) Will resume juggling and body blade on balance board for proprioceptive and vestibular recruitment (c) include two 10 minute sessions on versaclimber (d) find windy environment to practice weekly tent assembly and pack loading (e) daily pack and repack pack (f) drop 15-20 pounds of gear – yikes! (g) review equipage (h) increase lower body strength (i) devise better methods for medicating and keeping glucometer warm
I measured my ability to recruit oxygen. I made note of the status of my lungs through the night. No significant symptoms of altitude sickness. (i) make note of diabetic diet, gorp, candies; (ii) gastric motility reduced at altitude and by diabetes.
Self care appropriate for extreme conditions. Good judgment exercised. Minimal soreness to muscles.
Without a trekking pole team there would be no climb. My goal was to test trekking poles. They are an essential part of my equipment. Many thanks to everyone who helped choose, navigate purchasing rituals, and provide the funds for a starving climber. There’s almost Everything Else at Wilderness. I must complete a category of Equipment Review, Camera, Fleece, Sleeping Bag &c.
I share my first attempts at digital photography. It’s not analog. It’s all my eyes and hands can manage. It’s heavier equipment. I’ll need a neutral density filter. And a wider angle lens. More batteries. A harness to keep the camera inside my coat so it doesn’t freeze. Along with my glucometer.
After an Ordeal Nothing builds confidence like a test of confidence. Thank you Mt. Adams. Thank you many hands and helpers. For scientific purposes, it was a busy 48 hours. Personally, it was an eternity in paradise.
I didn’t summit. Maybe in urgency to get Somebody Else down. No Body Else was on the mountain. Spirits of Warriors who used my lookout over the centuries. Weather broke within a few thousand feet of the summit. Wind gusting 70 mph. Snow and freezing rain. Dangerous conditions. Manageable. Not worth Unnecessary Trouble.
Week 18 on the Port Gamble to Talkeetna Trail. Seventy-Six Weeks to Get Ready for the Great One. Approach and Preparation are not Wishful Thinking. Mt. Adams Work List to follow.
