The "Fatigue-Free Walking Method" I Learned from Mountaineering | Why Those Who Keep Moving Are Stronger Than Those Who Take the Shortest Route
The idea that "the shortcut is faster" is a lie in mountaineering.
The reason why reducing the burden of each step allows you to keep walking without stopping.
Why I realized in mountaineering that "shortest" does not equal "efficient"
How many times did you stop on the shortest route?
I learned that while climbing.
There is a large step in front of me.
If I climb straight up, it is certainly the shortest way.
But I step slightly to the side.
I look for a lower step.
A place where the sole of my foot fits perfectly.
A place that won't move even when I shift my weight onto it.
I place my foot there.
The step I take that way is light.
My breathing doesn't get ragged.
My feet don't stop either.
I can keep moving steadily at the same rhythm.
Small, continuous steps are better than big ones
Back when I wasn't used to it yet.
I tried to climb over the step in front of me just as it was.
I wanted to get through it quickly.
I wanted to move forward even a little bit.
I would pull my knee up hard and use momentum to lift my body.
I made it over.
But my breathing was ruined by that one step.
My feet stopped.
I would move, then stop again.
The time I spent afterward was much longer
than the step I had just climbed over.
That taught me everything.
The shortest route is not always the fastest.
Those who don't stop aren't the fastest; they are the ones who don't get tired.
In the mountains, 'efficiency' has a different meaning.
Efficiency in the mountains was not about taking the shortest distance.
How much can you keep walking without getting tired? That is where true efficiency lies.
Do you rush the shortest path and take many breaks? Or do you take a slightly longer way but keep moving without stopping?
It was already clear which one could take you further.
Rather than being out of breath and resting for 10 minutes, it is sometimes faster in the end to keep walking, even if it's slow.
In the mountains, a 'sustainable way of walking' is stronger than speed.
If you are standing still before a step in front of you right now, I want you to look to the side for a moment.
A path that doesn't tire you out might exist somewhere else.
The path that looks like a detour might actually be the path that gets you to your destination the fastest.
Conclusion | In the mountains, the power to keep walking is better than the shortest distance.
Even though I was supposed to have climbed by the shortest route, for some reason I stopped many times. My breathing fell apart, and my walking rhythm disappeared. That was the beginning of this realization.
When each step feels light, you don't stop. When you don't stop, you can eventually go further. I feel that this sensation I learned in the mountains is connected to daily life as well.
Rather than forcing yourself to take big steps, knowing the stride length you can sustain is also one way to keep moving forward.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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▶ If you'd like, please take a look at my past mountain travel articles as well. I am gradually writing down the changes in my sense of walking and the things I thought about in the mountains.
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