I have spent time camping running, climbing, skiing alone… but have never felt a feeling of loneliness in the mountains. It is quiet and you are in your own thoughts.. just simple. Everything seems to make sense in the mountains. Everyone is here for the same reason.
You are around people but everyone is quietly anticipating the day, slowly getting their gear ready: beacons, their skins and layering up. You step outside the hut and you are in this beautiful place. There is something really meditative about being the mountains… You have only your thoughts. Breaking trail and painting the up-track into the mountains…
You need to find the balance between working on your own and sharing those big decisions that you need to make through out the day. You push yourself to put in the boot pack and then you change positions with your buddy to share the work… you can go that much further.Your feelings change with the terrain. You might be tense entering your first turn.
The second turn, you start to get into the feel of it. Those last couple turns when you just open it up and your whole body is tingling until you stop and look up to watch your partners follow behind you. You can almost relive the last few moments watching them come down. It is pretty special to share that.At the end of the day there is this sense of being exhausted and happy at the same time.
Being able to unpack, start a fire and share the moments that you had in the mountains. There are lots of moments through out the day that you feel solitude… I think it is just nice to share those moments with people…
By Christina Lusti
The Great Cairn Hut – ‘Shared Solitude’
Featuring –Eric Hjorleifson, Forrest Coots and Christina Lusti
Voiceover – Arc’teryx athlete Christina Lusti.
Filming –Angela Percival
Editing – Kuba Wiatrak