CODY SHIMIZU

A look into my life, a journal to look back on, a blog for others to see.

As much as I love going to the mountains, exploring nature with other people, sometimes I can’t help but get some alone time in the grand nature. Or sometimes when you suck at making friends just like me you don’t really have much of an option. Being alone, I mean really alone. Not sitting alone at a café, not walking alone down the street but being alone in the wild. Far away from any civilization, it quiet, but not really with the sound of nature, the birds, winds, water, yet never enough to drown out the thoughts in your mind. Every solo adventure I go on it’s a yo-yo act between the romantic solitude and nightmare of isolation.

This summer I had a few opportunities to go on some solo adventures. From bikepacking my way across British Colombia to reaching some spectacular summits in Kananaskis country. Lets, talk about the scrambles, walking through the forests, not seeing another soul through valleys and mountain tops, high, and low. There’s something special and scary about that don’t you think? I’ve always admired people going on amazing adventures alone, these crazy solo’s you hear about. Don’t worry though, I’m no fool that’s going to pretending to be like Alex Honnold, what so great about going to the mountains when you can’t come back from it? But it takes someone with amazing mental fortitude to do solo adventures. You just have so much time to be alone, to think, it’s the thought that always gets to me.

I don’t know for sure but in my mind its training my mental game. The constant risk assessments, observing the conditions of the mountain, route finding. With a partner you have someone else to share the decision making with but alone you’ve just got yourself. Not only that but controlling your emotions, your thoughts, when things aren’t looking great the fear the starts creeping up from the back of your mind.

Mount Smuts, one of the more technical mountains I’ve climbed to date. In my mind, it was a personal test piece to see where I come from and where I am now. I did it solo. On the approach, I nervously wacked my hiking poles together to make noise as I approached the mountain through the woods. As I popped out into the valley it was absolutely beautiful. The lush green grass and colourful flowers, beautiful peaks, surrounding me with Smuts in sight. I gained the col up towards mount Smuts and Smutwood. Looking back towards the beautiful yet intimidating mount Birdwood. I hope to climb it one day, a more technical yet such a beautiful line in an incredible position.

I made quick work though the famous stair section, it was steeper than I expected but you gain a descent amount of elevation fairly quickly. Once I finally reached a point where in front of me I only saw a vertical wall I climbed to my right and gained the ridge. From there it was a beautiful section of climbing on solid rock. Everything just stuck so well, every hold felt bomber. It was a nice change to the typical chossy rock that just crumbles if you look at it wrong.

The ascent didn’t feel too technical, I followed the gullies up since I preferred smearing my way up since I had hiking boots rather than climbing shoes, with no party above me and solid rock I wasn’t too worried about rock fall. As I reached the summit plateau it was exciting, early in the season I carefully stepped around some left-over snow patches. As I traversed across to the summit, my heavy breathing subsided, only the sound of the wind blowing and the crunching of snow under my boots. It was serene, at peace with what I had just accomplished.

With the amount of snow on the summit I struggled finding the descent route. I looked down a few and choose one that looked like it would go. Although it was a bit looser then I had hoped for it still went. Finally after making my way down the steps I celebrated, looking across the lake towards mount Smutwood. An incredible day in the mountains, I couldn’t help but skip my way through the woods back to the car after such an amazing day.