The Mountains We Climb

“People are only limited by their imagination. If you don't dream then you won't do it. Human beings are capable of doing amazing things.”—Nirmal Purja

August 4th, 2026

📍House of Loto—Salida, Colorado, USA 🇺🇸

Greetings from the wilderness!

This past Saturday I stood on the summit of Mt. Shavano. At 14,230 feet (celebrating Colorado's 150th birthday), it's not the tallest mountain in the state, but it certainly asks something of you. The trail is long…so long.

The air gets thinner with every step. The final scramble across loose rock has a way of making you question why you thought this was a good idea in the first place.

As my cousin Mary and I climbed, I found myself thinking about a quote from the infamous mountaineer, the late Nims Purja (RIP): "Your own mountains—whatever they are—are climbable."

I've been carrying those words with me each day as I have been recovering from my adventure. Because the hardest mountain I've been climbing this year hasn't been made of granite. It's been made of paperwork, difficult conversations, letting go of a sixteen-year marriage, and choosing a future I never imagined I would have to create—divorce.

There is grief in closing a chapter that shaped so much of my adult life. There is sadness in acknowledging that sometimes love changes form. And there is relief in knowing that peace can still exist even when things don't unfold the way we once hoped.

Some mountains aren't conquered. They're crossed. One slow step at a time….

I've been realizing that resilience doesn't usually look heroic. Most days it looks like getting up, taking the next step, making the next phone call, signing the next document, trusting that the path will reveal itself one breath at a time.

Ironically, climbing mountains has become one of the places where I remember this most clearly. You can't sprint your way to 14,000 feet—well, some people literally can, as I witnessed this past weekend. But that's a story for another time.

I know many of you are climbing mountains of your own. Some are visible. Others are completely hidden from the people around you.

A health diagnosis.
A relationship that's changing.
A career transition.
A season of caregiving.
Grief.
Loneliness.
Financial uncertainty.

Whatever mountain you're facing, I hope you'll remember this: You don't have to climb it all today. Just the next step. That's all any mountain has ever asked of us.

Here at Loto, that's part of what we're practicing together through our Loto Circles and ceremonial gatherings. Not having all the answers. Not pretending the climb isn't hard. But remembering that we were never meant to make the journey alone.

Thank you for continuing to walk this path with me.

With Love, unconditionally—

Jennifer

P.S.—I’d love to hear from YOU! Rather than emailing me or dropping me a DM, please post a comment below 👇

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