While climbing a mountain, you must surrender yourself to the unknown of what lies ahead. You must embrace your own vulnerability, take risks and challenge yourself each step of the way in order to embrace the incomparable feeling of satisfying exhaustion.

Though reaching the top of the mountain is undeniably one of the most emotionally quenching sensations a human can experience, the true ambition is to encompass the climb itself.

When you slip on your broken-in hiking boots and sink them into the damp soil, earthy aromas fill your lungs. As you inhale, you are able to capture the scent of pine needles and rainwater. As you exhale, you release each fragrance back into the wilderness. Then repeat.

Backpacking is as rigorous and demanding as it is de-stressing and fulfilling. Each and every muscle is straining, your heart beats out of your chest, and salt forms on your lips as sweat breaks the surface of your skin. With legs burning and fingers cramping, you gradually make your way up the grueling incline. Fatigue drains any remnants of vitality, leaving you in a brilliant state of depletion. Then, and only then, is when you will ultimately take your final step and reach the top of the mountain, the ultimate victory.