Day 15: Mother’s Day - The Mountains, The Mothers, and The Magic in Between

As this adventure comes to an end, I keep thinking less about the summits… and more about everything in between.

The bloopers.
The breakdowns.
The recalculating.
The people.

Maybe that’s actually the story.

France: The Beautiful Chaos

Let’s start with Chamonix.

We stayed at the Héliopic Hotel & Spa and somehow ended up in three different room setups throughout the week. Each one slightly better than the last.

French hotel rooms and apartments are definitely not the size Americans are used to.

It took a little time to figure that out.

And honestly, moving around so much ended up keeping things interesting.

The location was amazing though. We could walk to the Midi lift every day, which made mountain logistics much easier.

Even we got sick of baguettes and chocolate croissants eventually.

The Lesson in Expectations

This trip taught me something loudly:

Go in with a plan.
Allow it to be different.

That’s a life skill.

And one I’m still learning.

Because sometimes the best parts of life show up in the space where your expectations end.

The Best Decision We Made

Hiring US guides who work in Chamonix during the season was one of the best decisions we made.

100% would do that again.

There was already so much “new” every single day that having guides fluent in both English and our culture made the actual hard part, climbing and training, feel easier.

Josh and his team went above and beyond constantly.

Not just on the mountain, but helping us find experiences the boys would love, booking things, helping us navigate systems we didn’t understand yet.

That support mattered more than I expected.

Things I’d Do Differently

Every hut system in the world is different.

Research ahead of time. Know what to bring. Know what to leave home.

Layers are everything.

We prepared for extreme cold and honestly didn’t get much of it, but I think part of that is because we were prepared.

And rest days?

I’ll think about those differently moving forward.

I’m a go-go-go kind of girl.

But when every minute is planned, there’s no room for spontaneity to surprise you.

Some of our favorite memories happened because plans changed.

The Helicopter Lesson

There’s no heli-skiing on the French side of Mont Blanc.

Who knew?

So when the traditional route no longer felt safe for the boys because of serac danger, we pivoted and drove into Italy to access the mountain from there instead.

Amazing experience.

But if I’m honest, I probably should have better prepared the boys emotionally that booked helicopters are not guaranteed helicopters.

When weather grounded us the first day, they were devastated.

And I realized something important:

Disappointment lands softer when people are emotionally prepared for possibility.

The Little Things That Stabilize Us

Routine matters more than we think.

We tried a different gelato every day trying to determine the best flavor.

We built sauna time into our routine.

We even had a favorite convenience store cashier who started recognizing us and smiling every time we walked in.

Those little anchors matter when everything else feels unfamiliar.

Watching the Boys Become Brothers

One of my favorite parts of this entire experience was watching the boys become a team.

Encouraging one another.
Checking one another.
Refusing to quit because their brother was still going.

There’s something powerful about siblings doing hard things together.

We need each other to become the best versions of ourselves.

And watching Tom become a sort of big brother figure to them was a gift too.

When we split directions after France, I caught Tom on the phone with the kids, each one at home passing the phone around, staying connected.

That hit me deeply.

Why Capturing the Experience Matters

Tom documenting this entire journey has been priceless.

Because when you’re in survival mode, you don’t always realize the magnitude of what you’re doing.

Later, seeing the footage becomes proof.

And confidence grows from proof.

Not just from doing hard things… but from seeing yourself do hard things.

Because in the moment, we often downplay ourselves.

The footage says:

“No. That actually was a big deal.”

The Parts That Hurt

The conditions on Mont Blanc were hard.

And the ski training in Utah leading into the trip was almost nonexistent because of conditions there.

So when it wasn’t safe for Tom to make a summit attempt with us, we all felt it.

Those emotions up close are real.

There’s no motivational quote that removes disappointment.

You just learn how to metabolize it.

And how to appreciate things you once took for granted.

Growing up skiing in Utah? That’s a lifelong gift.

The Invisible Load Mothers Carry

France was a lot for me.

Not just because I was climbing.

Because I was climbing while also managing, anticipating, adjusting, organizing, feeding, translating emotions, carrying the nervous system of the group… especially my kids.

The load mothers carry is real.

This trip highlighted that in a huge way.

And it also showed me how much I tend to over-manage situations so everyone else has a great experience instead of allowing things to simply be what they are.

That tendency is both my gift and my kryptonite.

Russia Changed Me Too

Going directly from Russia after France felt like a lot mentally.

Not necessarily because of what was actually happening…

But because of all the stories you hear before going somewhere unfamiliar.

And honestly, that became one of the greatest lessons of this entire journey.

How often stories become bigger than reality.

Being there reminded me that places are never just headlines or opinions or things we hear from far away. They are people. Families. Humor. Hospitality. Pride. Daily routines. Kindness.

The people we met in Russia were incredibly warm, patient, and helpful.

And experiencing that firsthand made me realize how often I do the exact same thing in my own life.

I write stories.

Especially in the mountains.

Fear starts narrating:

“What if this goes wrong?”
“What if I can’t do this?”
“What if this becomes dangerous?”

And then I have to pull myself back into what is actually true.

I am standing on snow.
I am clipped into a rope.
I just need to take one more step.

Even leaving Russia, driving through the mountains toward Georgia at night in the rain, my tired brain started creating dramatic scenarios.

Meanwhile the truth was much simpler:

We were in a van.
With a driver named Yogi.
Heading toward the airport.
Everything was okay.

This trip reminded me how important it is to separate reality from the stories we layer on top of it.

Because stories can either trap us…

Or help us grow.

And I feel myself growing through all of this.

Less controlling.
More trusting.
More willing to let life unfold instead of trying to force every variable into place.

Honestly, that might be the biggest summit of this entire experience.

Perspective Is Humbling

At one point in Russia I had a complete meltdown because I only brought one hairbrush and had to dry my hair with a hotel hair dryer and no products.

Yes. Really.

The diva in me is alive and well.

And then hours later I was trying to navigate closed airspace, border crossings, and getting out of the country with limited cash.

And I had to laugh at myself.

Perspective is powerful.

Why I Crave These Adventures

This is why I love wild pursuits.

They pull me out of the race of insignificance and back into the simplicity of life.

How lucky am I to have a body capable of this?

A team at home supporting me?

People willing to “Sherpa” me through difficult moments while I learn how to better do the same for others?

That might honestly be the greatest lesson of all.

Learning to Receive

I’ve spent most of my life trying to be the capable one.

The helper.
The strong one.
The one who figures it out.

And this trip forced me to receive.

I ran out of money in Russia.
Needed help.
Needed people.

And what surprised me most?

People helped happily.

Eagerly.
Willingly.
Without expecting anything back.

I am overflowing with gratitude for humanity right now.

The Motherhood Lesson

And maybe that’s why it mattered so much to get home for Mother’s Day.

Because whether you have children, want children, have fur babies, nurture businesses, friendships, communities, dreams, or ideas…

We all mother something.

We all carry that instinct to protect, guide, nurture, encourage, and believe in growth.

Mother Earth gave us this extraordinary planet to explore.

And somewhere inside all of us is still the child willing to dream wildly enough to climb mountains.

Maybe our job is to mother that part of ourselves too.

To believe in her.
Encourage her.
And keep helping her rise.

Final Thought

GPS recalculates constantly.

It doesn’t shame itself for taking a wrong turn.

It simply adjusts and recalculates toward the destination.

What if we did more of that?

What if we stopped making ourselves wrong for the detours?

Stopped fighting reality so hard?

Stopped believing uncertainty meant failure?

This whole journey reminded me:

The magic of life is not in controlling everything.

It’s in continuing to climb anyway.

Together.

So here’s to the mountains we’ve climbed.

And the ones still waiting for us.

Happy Mother’s Day.

(Denali up next, departing June 6th! Stay tuned.)