This article from the Kiwi Yamabushi newsletter got more than 1,000 reads, so I decided to put it here for everyone. Get articles just like this in your inbox by signing up here. Paid subscribers get priority access and access to the full archive of over 100 articles.

A friend of mine is a war veteran. It’s crazy hearing the stories, but probably the worst one is that they lost all of the other members in their squad. Their role meant they weren’t on the frontlines per se, but they were definitely where the action was. 

Mountains of Wisdom is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribed

Needless to say, this left my friend deeply scarred on an emotional level. So scarred in fact, it was hard for them to do normal everyday things. It got so bad they went around to any number of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychics, you name it. 

Then one day they found one person who simply said:

Go to nature. Alone.

That was the catalyst. Until then, my friend hadn’t spent that much time out in nature. The usual stuff you do as a kid, camps here and there, but nothing much more. 

And truth be told, once they did, they were hooked. 

Since then, for the past few decades, my friend has dedicated the better part of every weekend to getting out into nature. 

And oh the sights they have seen!

If you’re not from there it’s hard to fathom, but the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada through California is where my friend found solace.

Mexico to Canada.

And let me tell you, they have a pretty intimate knowledge of this trail.

Not only that, more than once my friend came face to face with bobcats, mountain lions, bears, all manner of creature. One time they even managed to capture a photo of a bobcat taking a rest under a tree on the other side of the same clearing they were ‘camping’ in cowboy style.

It’s a bit much for this lowly Kiwi to comprehend, but I guess when nature is the medicine, you really do do all you can to get the biggest dose.

Like Junko Tabei.

Junko Tabei

Probably the coolest part of it, at least I think so, is through these escapades my friend also got to meet a pretty special person, Junko Tabei. Until they mentioned her, I wasn’t aware who she was, but Junko Tabei was at the pinnacle of mountaineering. 

Literally.

Tabei was the first woman in the world to climb Mt. Everest. 

As a Kiwi, which means I’m two degrees of separation away from Sir Edmund Hillary, and as an avid mountain lover, this is pretty high on the list of cool things. 

And if you read into her life, it gets even cooler. 

Literal and Mental Mountains

Tabei had to get through layer upon layer of sexism just so she could get on the mountains. Some men refused to climb with her simply because of her gender! (Japan still has mountains that women aren’t allowed on!)

Tabei also often lacked funding to be able to do her hikes, resorting to making her gear by herself to climb Mt. Everest. Gloves made out of the cover of a car really make you appreciate how far mountain climbing gear has come in the following decades! 

Tabei continued climbing right up until her dying breath, and it’s a good thing she did. Not only was Tabei the first woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge, she helped lead efforts in cleaning up rubbish left behind by climbers of Everest (maybe not just rubbish (content warning)). Closer to home, Tabei led excursions up Fuji-san for schoolchildren affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, whose 12 year anniversary is tomorrow. 

It’s all so inspiring. And for me it’s all evidence that, when in doubt, prescribe nature.