When A Daunting Challenge Stands in Your Path
By Frosty Wooldridge 

This is a photograph of my mountaineering friend Steven contemplating climbing that mountain before him, 13,209 foot Homestake Peak, last week on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, with 40 knot winds and minus 20 degree temperatures. We both faced that mountain summit. Was it going to be easy? What do you think? When you see something SO daunting in front of you, how do you respond? What thoughts race through your mind? How will you accomplish what seems nearly impossible?  

Steve Almasi facing 13,209 foot Homestake Peak, Mt. Holy Cross Region of Colorado Rocky Mountains. Photography by Frosty Wooldridge

The year 2020 offers sobering challenges, amazing moments and terrific solutions in your personal life and that of our nation.  It’s what each one of us does with our choices that carries us toward our highest and best results.  No matter the task, simply put one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, and in the end, effort over time will take you to the top.

I’m reminded of the greats of history such as Socrates, Plato, da Vinci, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Goodall, Martin Luther King, Jimmy Stewart, Thoreau, John Muir, Abagail Adams, Emerson, Teddy Roosevelt and so many more. Each faced daunting challenges in his or her time. Each chose to move forward toward that “summit” in their own lives. Each chose courage over despair. Each changed history toward the betterment of humanity.

In these roaring 20’s of the 21st century, let’s each choose an epic challenge to conquer, to make better, to hand over a more viable planet to our progeny in every country, and every place on this precious globe. 

What can you do in the “roaring 20’s” just beginning? Can you pick up litter? Can you clean plastic out of the oceans? Can you pass a deposit return law in your city, state or the nation? Can you treat your children better with love and security so they grow up confident and happy? Can you develop clean energy?  Can you engage your leaders?  Can you become a leader? 

We’ve got some things to accomplish in the next ten years. I’m going to be working on our environment, our betterment as a country, our choices as to stabilizing our population, our moving toward alternative energies that render a safer and more positive planet, our choices of peace over war, our educational systems, our choices to stop poisoning our planet home, our respect for one another….and the list grows. What are you going to do to make things better in your neck of the woods?

May you reach the summit of your mountain. Life and light, Frosty Wooldridge, six continent world traveler, who cares and acts. January 2020. (BTW, we skied to the summit and reached it by 12:30 p.m. that day.) You can too in your arena!

Frosty Wooldridge at the summit of Homestake Peak, January 8, 2020. Photography by Frosty Wooldridge, 10 second delay tripod.