Lone climber- Mount Hood

This is one of my favorite photos, even though I do not know the person in it. Hard to say if he's contemplating the awesome view, the difficult climb down or having an existential crisis. I never asked. People climb for different reasons and its all but impossible to explain to others. Most of us, even those novice wannabes from Florida, can't really explain it to ourselves even. I struggled to articulate this concept when I explained to people why I wanted to do any of this in the first place. There is a certain pull that drives us to hard to these hard to reach places, but for reasons ranging from solace to comfort to challenge and others. I think that, deep down, we all feel a sense of awe when we're standing above the cloud. As great as it is to share this moment with fellow climbers, and even greater with those we love, I think that all of us feel that it is our moment. Perhaps I should have asked him if he agreed.