You and I do not control nature. We don’t control the animals, the mountains, the wicked winter storms or the flash floods of summer. It is greater than us and we are left controlling only what we can control. Our feet will get us out, our shelter will keep us warm and dry, our willpower will get us to the next peak. I am not conquering nature, I am conquering myself.

This is the beauty of adventure, it forces us to focus on only what we can control. Here, in the human world, the world we’ve constructed, with debt and paychecks and your car's extended warranty, we try to control what we can’t and that brings on the anxiety. The anxiety wants to find blame so we point our finger at the media, the protesters, the people who don’t agree with us and we're left with a mess.

Give up on what you can’t control and you will take control of what you can.