there.
when i shared this with the guide, he seemed shocked. although he said he would support any decision i made, he shared that he had led thousands of people up this very route and that he knew i had it in me to make it. he also pointed out all of the things i was doing well. i used his confidence to quiet my negative self-talk and continued the climb.
it turns out that we had just gotten through the hardest part of the climb, and it was only one more leg to the top. if i had not had his support, i would have done the vast majority of the 