Last week I watched the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible on Netflix. It is so inspiring and leaves me in awe and contemplation at the same time.
The Nepali-born boy, Nims, broke the record of conquering the 14 peaks of the world. Among the 14 peaks, K2 is the most dangerous. More than 100 extreme mountain climbers call it a resting place. He says, 'Whether you are white or black, there is only one rule.' Listening to that, I know exactly what he will say next. Can you guess what he says next?
Nims completes, 'If you give up, you fail'. Yes. A million yes. If you give up, you fail. Remember that.
Facing hardship, he is adamant that he will die tomorrow, but he isn't going to die today. That giving up is not in his blood.
When suffering from calamity, he questions himself. Why do I have to do this? I do too. I think it is normal to question ourselves when things do not go well as expected, and we even want to give up. After all, we are all human beings!
I question myself too when I feel like I can’t endure pain in my mountain bike training. My heart rate skyrockets; my legs are shaking and they refuse to listen to me; I’m huffing and puffing on the way up to the hill. I think I will die! I’m doubtful about what I’m doing: Why do I have to do this? Isn’t better to stay home, sink into my puff leather couch, nibble on popcorn and watch Netflix? Then I cry and feel sorry for myself. However, later on, when I can cycle up and up and up to the peak of Swarberg Pass in Prince Albert, I see that my hard work and endurance pay off. I marvel at the open and vast vista of Prince Abert mountains in gratification. I’m grateful to be on top of the mountain. I’m grateful that my husband was tough on me so that I could cycle with him and his friends, see interesting people and eye on beautiful places which a uni degree and Master’s degree I have earned never provide me with.
For those who have been up to the summit of Prince Albert Pass, they surely know how challenging it is to be there, in a 4x4, let alone on a bike. Some asked me, ‘Are you mad?’ when I told them I cycled there. I think I’m!
Have a look at Prince Albert Pass in the video below.
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| Swartberg Pass. Photo taken in 2019 |
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| Me at Teeberg, a popular rest stop for tee, in 2019. At that time, this was the highest point in Prince Albert Pass that I could cycle up to. It is blanketed with snow in winter. Tee is an Afrikaans word for tea. |
To cut the story short, it is the doing that counts. Just do it. Just do it.
When you feel like the devil of 'giving up' starts to eat you, you just try a bit more, just a bit more. Then you will get to where you aim for. You are much stronger than you think!
Nothing is impossible till it’s done. The former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, also followed this mantra. He said: 'It always seems impossible until it’s done.'
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| Me at the summit of Prince Albert Pass in 2021. After two years of training, I could be able to climb up to the top on my bike. |
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| Cycling up to the peak is time-consuming and labour-intensive. It is not a doddle. However, once I'm on the top, I realise cycling down is a real problem. Gravity pulls me down fast. I'm descending like a rocket, without paddling. My husband advised me, 'If you feel you can't go on, you must stop and rest. I want you to go home in one piece. No helicopter can come here to rescue you.' Oh dear! I didn't stop to rest at all. I was so glad that I went home in one piece, with no broken limbs. |
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| Here are my two cycling companions at one hairpin of the pass. I spotted eight different kinds of Protea along the pass on the way up. I told myself I would stop on the way down for Protea photos, but I didn't because it was not easy due to the monster named Gravity. I regret missing this opportunity. |
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| Luckily, I managed to take a photo of one kind of Protea on the way up, almost at the peak of the pass. Please don't ask me the name of this pink Protea! ^^ |
