Epic Goal + Epic Failure = Epic Lesson

A year ago today I left for what was to be an epic climb up Mount Olympus in Greece. Instead it ended up being more of an epic failure. As always though, even though disappointed and not knowing how I’d explain not making it to the top, I decided to share some things I learned. Ten things, actually.

Spolier alert: among the 10 is a great lesson at the end! 🙂

10 things I learned while in Greece:

10. While its cities, small towns & villages, its islands & beaches, its historical & archaeological sites are all beautiful—this I knew from previous visits—its mountains are also just as spectacularly beautiful.

9. Staying in Litochoro has proven my theory that Greece is full of small towns that can (and seemingly do) support a beautiful life.

8. There is another Greek beer I now love: Nymphe (Νύμφη)

7. Greece may have the best tomatoes I’ve ever tasted.

6. Different parts of a country are well, just different. Not unlike how different states in the US can be so different. Visiting a foreign country more than a few times is the only way to really get this perspective. Also, hanging out like a local helps.

5. No matter where in the world, the hospitality industry is a beautiful way to make a living, and spend your life. I love hotel people!

4. You can’t serve too much spaghetti bolognese in a remote refuge on a mountain, no matter how limited the electricity and plumbing facilities might be. Who knew?!

3. Experiencing lightning and thunder on Mount Olympus is awesome. (I did get amazing videos but no photos I can post here.)

2. In less than 48 hours—24 hours, even—you can absolutely connect with people in a way that brings instant friendship, loving hugs when you depart, and a reminder that nothing connects us to different walks & ways of life the way travel can.

1. Even when failing, or not reaching a goal, life can bring lots of love & lessons. Maybe this was more of a reminder than a new lesson.

Because of what I hoped at the time wasn’t too serious of an injury, I didn’t reach the summit of Mount Olympus. Twenty minutes in after starting the hike, I fell. Hard.

At the time I didn’t know how bad the injury was so I kept hiking up, albeit very slowly and with swelling getting bigger as the altitude rose. Once at the first – and for me, only – stop at the refuge where we’d spend two nights I discovered that there be no chance of me trekking the following day to make the summit.

I paid a good amount of money for this international solo trip + trek, and well, the goal was to reach the summit, the top of Greece. I had a quote from Homer ready to write in the book on the top, a silent message for my favorite Goddess + childhood icon (Athena), and I really wanted that photo of me at the top with the Greek flag. But, it didn’t happen. My journey this vacation didn’t take me to the top, but it did take me toward at least few amazing conversations (and new friendships made) that wouldn’t have happened could I have walked comfortably afterward, and it got me thinking—once again—about trying something epic and not succeeding. To be honest, it’s been a while. I’ve been on a pretty good streak of epic stuff! So nothing like (literally) falling on my ass, having to get myself back up to remind me of who I am, where I come from and ultimately where I continue to be going.

Which will be on to some other epic (or not so epic) adventure, to enjoy this one + only life, to some other summit, maybe I’ll reach the top, maybe I won’t. But I bet the trek, the journey, the connections, will still be the best part—better than any photo, better than any check mark on a list, better than any elevated view. They always are. And, maybe my worse-for-wear knee and ankle will get me there.

“…and with them, the mighty Mount Olympus trembled.” ~Homer, The Iliad

ευχαριστώ πολύ, Greece. τα λέμε ξανά στην πορεία. Xo

Cover photo taken by me while injured on Mount Olympus, at dawn.

Note to the reader about my injury: After spending two nights on Mount Olympus, making the very difficult hike down limping all the way to Litochoro (as well as limping around Greece and four airports on the way home) and arriving home three days later, I was finally able to see a doctor and get a diagnosis: sprain along with a broken bone in my right ankle, fractured right knee cap and extreme inflammation due to damage and what looks like osteoarthritis. Good news? No torn ligaments! Epic, indeed.