Mt Hood Taught Me I Don't Need Fixing

I climbed Mt Hood thinking the summit would change something fundamental about me. Like altitude could rewire my brain, make me someone who doesn't overthink every text message or second-guess career choices. The first four hours were exactly what I expected—burning legs, thin air, that addictive rhythm of one foot, then the other. But somewhere around 9,000 feet, watching other climbers push past their limits, I realized I wasn't broken to begin with. The summit was beautiful. Cold, clear, worth every blister. But the real moment happened on the descent, when I stopped trying to extract some life-changing meaning from every switchback. Sometimes a mountain is just a mountain. Sometimes you're already enough. #Travel #MountainReality #SelfAcceptance