Sherpa has many meanings mostly tied to navigating mountainous terrain on and off the trail.
Personally, it started as a term of endearment between me and my husband, usually while we were out hiking.
I am always overreaching, and he is always lifting me up and encouraging me until we achieve our set goals.
We are deliberate to ensure we set our goals ahead of time so temporary setbacks or moods don’t dictate a different path based on an obstacle, mental or physical.
On a hike, Ken usually carries a pack with my diet cokes or granola bars. He is the one I reach to when I am stepping up or stepping down. If I am about to lose my balance, well he is there to lend a hand and keep me upright. He will suggest where to place my footing, if I can’t see, so I don’t fall. I trust him. Trust is an important element of any journey.
This is as much literal as it is figurative in our lives. So much so, it has become a part of our social media history, that when out on a hike, we take a pic of him holding my hand and I post, “Sherpa Please.” It can be found on our anniversary posts or birthday celebrations. It’s a gentle reminder about teamwork, trust, and leaning into others to achieve greater things.
For his birthday, last year, we hiked “The Narrows” at Zion National Park. We were confident we would be back in time for a late lunch after starting out at sunrise. At 5pm, I began to get worried we might miss the final bus back to the visitors center nine miles away. I was at complete muscle failure down to my hand gripping the walking stick. It was a very trying hike, through the Virgin River, and constant bracing and careful navigation as I trekked over small and large rocks under the water. The river was up to our chest at some points forcing us to swim against the current. There were moments I was deterred but not Ken, he smiled and said, “Sherpa Please, we got this,” and we did. He got me over every rock and through every bend in the river. It was tough but together we completed the entire hike.
He helps me a lot, that’s what Sherpas do. They carry, they guide, they mentor, and they help you through your toughest climbs. 8THIRTYFOUR did that for me as we worked on this website. They guided me through a process that I couldn’t have done alone. They helped me think through my passion, my services, my goals as they helped me understand the Break Trail brand.
And that’s what I want Break Trail to be for you, a place that you can lean into on your hardest days to keep moving ahead with your goals. It can be in a board room, a strategy session, an inspirational keynote, or a one-time consult for your professional brand. It can also be a place for your personal history through storytelling, understanding your history or a pilgrimage.
It’s a place where we help you as a guide, mentor, and friend.
Sherpa please, we got this.
