There’s Always an Ice Field – Keep Your Eyes Straight Ahead

February 6: The tram ride up to the top of Mont Blanc was a bit fitful as the wind was howling.
Once there you walk through a sort of ice tunnel where you get your ropes, picks, and ice cleats that cover the bottom of your hiking boots so you have better grip as you traverse the ice fields.
Yes, there are crevasses…those near vertical walls of ice with the gaping hole in the center that you must avoid or jump over with rope stretched out and guide in place so if something goes wrong it doesn’t go completely wrong.
Yet, it was not that that first confronted us in this adventure. It was the narrow, long, ice covered ledge, steep drop on each side, that you needed to cross to get from the ice tunnel to the ice fields.
“Don’t look down either left or right” was the direction. “Just look straight ahead and with deliberation take short, strong steps forward”.
And so we did for what seemed like a very long time. The ice field was entered and the trek across the ice from France to Italy began.
We learned much that trip. Sometimes you just need to, with determination, look straight ahead, not left, not right, take short deliberate steps, trust your inner compass, have faith in your ability and cross the ice fields that you are presented with on a regular basis whether winter or summer.
There is always an ice field…sooner or later.
So put those cleats on, get the compass set, focus on the journey ahead, don’t second guess yourself and enjoy the trek across some of the most challenging ice fields in your life. Don’t listen to the critic that may whisper that you can’t cross it. At any age…you can.