When Climbing Being Responsible Is Our Responsibility

I was looking at an ad the other day and somewhere in it I read, Please Eat Responsibly.  Really?  Do we need to be told that? It's like those funny, but real directions that people have used on products. Are they truly necessary?

For example, on a new iron some directions once said, Please do not iron clothes while on body. Or on a hair dryer label someone wrote: Do not use while sleeping.

There seems to be a point when it should be obvious that things like that are our responsibility to know and do or not do. While we can't control what everyone else does we can control our part.

And that's vital in climbing. Of course on a mountain or the side of a cliff, good preparation is key. You learn as much as you can about the task before you, you check the weather reports and you evaluate your team. All of that helps you determine the gear you'll need for the day.

Life climbs require similar kinds of responsible planning. When things go wrong we can't blame others if we haven't done our part.

Do you ask good questions? Do you do research? Do you talk to people who've walked your journey or climbed your mountain before you? Do you have good, honest, assertive people around you who will tell you the truth, help you evaluate the data and even walk with you part of the way?

Do you take care of yourself, rest enough, eat right and do things that fill you rather than drain you? Have you become isolated from people?

We're the ones responsible to do those things and we should remind ourselves that we do have control over those things.

Your mountain will still likely be challenging but you'll avoid unnecessary accidents and pitfalls if you'll take responsibility for the obvious things that you must do ahead of time. And whatever you do when you iron, only use an ironing board.