By an Anonymous Secondary Student

Imagine being at the summit of a mountain; you're at a height where roles are reversed and the clouds are now staring up at you. You're standing on a structure larger than man could possibly build, looking upon every little building you once thought ruled over you. But you don't only see what's below you. You see the path you've travelled, how far you've pushed yourself upward, step-by-step, to the summit of your goal.

When you pitch your tent at the starting point, a word of advice'it's easier when you ask for help from others. Maybe you stay a night before setting off in the morning. The tent is quiet, except maybe for the snoring of your friend, or the soft pattering of the rain on the roof which makes everything feel cosy.

When staying a night in a tent on the mountains, sleep is relative. There are times where I don't get much because of the shivering cold, and times where I have had the best sleep of my entire life. And I don't know why, but every time, without fail, I always manage to wake up early in the mountains, and not feel tired. Somehow I'm even energised ' and this isn't a 'flex'. Genuinely, even when at 4 o'clock am almost everyone is awake, drinking their morning coffee and preparing for the hike to the summit.

In all honesty, the walking and trailing can get boring and tiring sometimes, but then when you look around you can see a fleeting beauty that is incomparable to the pictures taken from camera lenses. You see and feel the way the sun touches the emerald leaves on the thick trunk of trees, and browned leaves and branches scattered on the ground that crunch satisfyingly when you plant your feet on them telling you the years that have passed in this mountain, this old relic of life.

Mountaineering teaches you to find beauty in what might seem everyday. It teaches you that as you walk to your goal at the summit you have to not only be aware of, but most importantly, appreciate your surroundings'clich' as it seems. You'll get to the summit, hard as may be with your heart pounding into your rib cage, breathing erratic, sweat pouring off your skin and feet numb. So might as well enjoy the view while you're at it.