Walk Lightly

Posted on by Wynne Leon

I can’t think of a more irritating thing to hear when you are crossing a patch of ice than, “Walk lightly!” But given the source, I took a deep breath and gave it a go.

We were on Mt. Si, a popular training hike near North Bend, Washington and there were spots on the trail near the top where they were at a high enough altitude and also shaded so the ice hadn’t melted out. They tended to be at the corner of a switchback so by definition the area was tricky – sloped, turning and icy.

The source was my friend, Phil. I’ll trot out his credentials here just so you won’t be irritated with him either. He was the first American to summit the North Side of Everest, the 8th person to climb all Seven Summits (highest peak on each continent), a mountain guide who, when I first met him had summitted Mt. Rainier 400 times (I lost count after that), but also guided Mt. McKinley (Alaska), Mt Vinson (Antarctica), Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mt. Elbrus (Russia), and peaks in Mexico and Ecuador. Safe to say, the man knows how to hike.

It’s taken me years to understand what “walk lightly” means. It’s advice to keep your momentum going forward over the difficulty instead of digging in with every step. It helps to keep looking forward instead of down. When I’ve managed it, which isn’t often or very gracefully, it feels like skating. When I don’t manage it, I lean back on my heels and usually fall.

Of course, it works metaphorically as well. When I was recently going through the rough patch, also known as house training a puppy, it helped to keep my inner gaze focused on the likelihood that this wouldn’t go on forever. When possible, I tried to walk lightly by cleaning up the messes and moving on. There were a couple of compounded messes that left me overthinking everything I was doing wrong but with a little reminder to keep my eyes looking forward, I made it through.

There’s another way that I’ve come to understand Phil’s advice. All the guides that I’ve traveled with have had a gift for walking lightly in the mountains. They’ve all been meticulous about leaving no trace – cleaning up, hauling out trash, filling in holes where they could, using renewable resources. Regardless of their varied political ideologies, they seemed to be unified in respect for the weather, intent on packing just what was needed, and full of appreciation for the beauty of this earth. So I hope you won’t be irritated with me for passing on Phil’s advice, “Walk lightly.”

(featured photo from Pexels)

54 thoughts on “Walk Lightly”

  2. It is interesting to me that you mentioned political ideologies, Wynne. One would think their attitude toward the planet and observations about the changing climate would align with their approach to whatever climate-changing events are altering the terrain of at least some of the mountains they love, as well as the challenges of living in a world where areas are becoming uninhabitable, lacking in water, and prone to flooding, all depending on where you live. I gather you are saying they have different opinions about the urgency of our worldwide existential crisis. If not, I’d be most interested in their views.

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    1. Ah, what an interesting question, Dr. Stein. It’s always difficult and dangerous to characterize someone else’s beliefs but I’d say that they were concerned about the environment and global warming. But other issues like gun rights seemed to also be at play.

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      1. Thank you for answering the question, Wynne. You raised the issue of danger. Many are afraid of raising such issues. Even more fail to act despite or because of their fear to recognize that inaction increases the risk that louder voices may prevail. Unfortunately, our children’s lives depend on more than our being good parents.

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      2. I meant the danger of speaking on behalf of someone else about what they believe. But you’re right – the other danger exists that to speak up means getting an earful that we’re wrong or even from the other side that we aren’t doing enough.

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      3. Thank you for the clarification, Wynne. On the subject of not doing enough, there are far too many who do nothing at all. If being a citizen requires more than conversation or silence, then in my judgment, many need to do more. This is not to deny that some people are so overburdened that any action is impossible. Their goodwill and support are as much as they can muster.

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      4. Great point. I don’t believe in categorizing anyone by party, ethnicity, sex, age or what religion they follow or don’t follow. It’s not my place to judge or use a broad brush to make assumptions about them. We’re all individuals.

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      5. I am not suggesting a broad brush. Rather, I am suggesting that the duty of every citizen is to be informed and to be be responsible in a perilous moment in human history, one in which nearly every climate scientist affirms that the planet is in an existential crisis. If we care about our children and the ones we love, we must face a challenge unlike any other since man began to walk on two legs.

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  5. Those are words of wisdom that apply to so many aspects of our lives. I remember the feeling of “walking lightly” in ballet in pointe shoes. You have to lift your body up to make it possible.
    That may be the same feeling you had on the icy switchbacks.

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      1. Thank you! I took ballet as a little girl at the Bellevue Ballet School. My mom decided it was too far of a drive from Snohomish when I had to go at least three times a week, so I didn’t have the opportunity. When I went to the UW, I immediately enrolled in ballet class. I also took as an adult, until at 50 my knees couldn’t take the jumping anymore.

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  8. What a lovely interpretation of the month’s theme. I remember a yoga teacher prompting students to imagine themselves as a flower reaching toward the light, and I sense the same energy in “walking lightly” where we’re leading with out head and our heart, rather than our feet. It just feels oh so different. Beautiful, Wynne–thank you for this!

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  11. With winter icy precipitation soon to encroach on sidewalks, walking lightly is sound advice. Walkers can be considerate of others and move small branches and other tripping hazards from walkways as they move along. :).

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  13. I love your climbing and hiking stories and lessons and this is another winner. Your friend Phil is quite the accomplished climber so definitely no irritation here.

    I love how you continue to find metaphorical linkages with life too and I agree we can all learn to walk lightly during the rough patches indeed.

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  16. I love this. It may be practical advice, but it’s also philosophical wisdom. I can’t help but think of “For every thing there is a season…” and I suppose there is a time to dig in your heels and there is a time to walk lightly. The trick, I guess, is to know when to do which. I’ll be thinking about this today. Mona

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  17. Interestingly, I grew up with ‘walk lightly’ growing up in the south in the 50’s and 60’s where things were proper. It was a social term, meaning take care when you are having a conversation with someone. It was a foundation for grace and kindness. I’m glad I grew up with ‘walk lightly’.

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