As part of the weekly outdoor activities organized by the program, I went to a hiking trip at the Parc de la Jacques-Cartier. This was more or less the first time I would head out for a hiking trip in Canada. In fact, it feels like this is the only province I have been to that actually has mountains in it (my view of hiking is now associated with mountains).
We were bussed for about half an hour to get to part of the park with food and other services, and another fifteen minutes to the spot where we were to begin our hiking. The entire area of the park was so wonderful that I thought that the last 15 minutes bus ride were not necessary -- we could perhaps just walk that distance as well, and still the beauty of the scenery would be of equal value to the energy we would spend walking.
We were sub-divided into three groups: the fast, the medium and the relaxed rate hikers. I was part of the fast group, despite having slept only for two hours the night before, as I had to attend a Black Eyed Peas concert-- something that could not be missed, given the amount of hype it generated on campus, and because I had to take advantage of the pass I bought. The hiking started at around 11 am. Our group took the lead.
In addition to providing me with the time I badly needed to just walk and think, the hiking gave me an insight into something that I never thought before: mental toughness. I think this is the mental toughness that people often speak of when speaking of athletics or sports. Here is how it goes:
IN the beginning of the expedition, our guide took the lead of the group. She is a well-built, athletic young woman who seems to easily climb up the steep parts of the path as if she has always done it. A few minutes into the hiking, perhaps thinking that she may be walking too fast for the rest of the people to catch up, she said that one of us should take the lead -- I happen to be close to her, and so did what she said. I climbed at a reasonable pace, mostly taking paths that consumed the least energy, like avoiding the man-made stairs, which I thought would require more power, and instead taking the dirt or rocky paths that are on either side of the stairs. I did my best to honor the expectations of the "fast" group that we were until it was time for a short break about 25 minutes into the trip.
During the break, we were all told that we did not all have to remain in the group, and whoever wanted to take a longer break could wait until the medium-speed group comes. With that, we started the next phase of the climb. This time, an energetic woman took the lead. She was very fast that trying to keep up with her was the first time that I felt exhausted doing. She pretty much broke up from the group within a few minutes. Two guys joined her, one of whom was to even pass her later. During this time, I felt so tired that I thought of giving up catching up with the three people in front of me. All sorts of thoughts go through the mind during this time: was it the mind or the body that is tired? Would the body keep going if the mind stopped thinking of being tired? Does being tired entail being unable to process those thought processes that keep you moving and just listening to what your body says? What about determination? Is it not supposed to mean to just keep going until you no longer can't?
Five of us pretty much broke away from the bigger group and were grouped into four: the lone guy who passed everyone else and is now invisible. The energetic woman and another guy a few seconds' distance in front of me, myself, and a guy just a few meters behind me. One of the things I realized was how far a few seconds' distance can mean in situations like this. I wish I could perform the calculation to find out the amount of energy required to keep up with the group just ahead of me. That energy would probably be greater than the energy I would expend to catch up with them (after which I would fall behind again, because I will have been tired trying to catch up, and because I don't have the energy required to keep up with them). This made me appreciate what a few minutes' or even a few seconds' difference means when racing on a short or long distance track.
After 30 or 40 minutes in a state of maximum effort climbing, a renewed form of energy came to my mind and body, and I started to pace faster. My speed was so considerable that I was able to pass the group in front of me. At this point, I even started to run. Watching this, the guy from the just-passed group started to run and catch up with me. We were literally racing up the mountain. I was so surprised by my newly discovered energy that I thought I would utilize it to the maximum. And I did. After alternating the lead a few times with the guy, we were both determined to catch up with the very first guy before he reaches the top of the mountain. Running through the rocks and steep up- and down-running stairs, so we did. We reached him just about 20 meters from the destination. We took our well-deserved rest... The uphill trip took about an hour and half.
The return trip was easier, but it felt way longer time than the uphill one. At some point, you wonder if you actually went climbed all the distance that you are now passing through. This part of the trip took about 50 minutes, and we took advantage of our early start by walking a few meters to a flowing river nearby, with a magnificent forest and mountain valley view. We even found a swimming area there, and swam while we waited for the rest of the people to arrive.
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