Hike and Learn #3

Location: Heartbreak Ridge - Table Mountain Hike, North Bonneville, Washington

Audio Book: 48 Laws of Power 

Author(s): Robert Greene

​THE BOOK

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     (Laws 1 through 15)
     This book showed up in my recommended list in Audible and I was intrigued by the title and summary content. As I started listening, I realized this is a fascinating book to listen to during the current political climate that is exploding in our faces on a fairly regular basis. It reminds me of the classic Sun Tzu - Art of War in which it depicts some psychological battles between opponents in various examples. I noticed that you can try and pull apart the various strategies being utilized by both parties in the current election cycle, clearly both prescribe to some of these tactics.  I can say that, in my own life, some of these rules make sense and I can see how they may be advantageous but I will probably never use them for my own moral mental dilemmas that would ensue. However, you can use the information contained in the book to better assess the interactions/behaviors of the people around you, whether that be in your personal life or in business. 

Here are some takeaways from the few chapters I have worked through thus far:

• Be aware of your own emotions (and others) in regards to power struggles
• Perhaps letting some ideas bake a bit mentally before making them be known to the public
• Be cognizant of the how much you are saying on a given topic...can it be said with less to avoid mistakes/errs in thought
• Focus on proving thought processes/directions with actions rather than arguing verbally with another

Again, if you decide to embark on the journey through this text, I feel like you can use this as a tool of human understanding...but may not be accurate with all individuals/situations. Some ideas that were expressed thus far I thoroughly disagree with but that just may be how my mind works... but give it a listen and determine its benefit in your own mind/world :)

​​​Book Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins

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​THE HIKE

      Choosing to take this hike on during what was being considered a serious storm for the PNW, it definitely added some great visuals that stood out quite dramatically from previous outings. I took the advice of other sites that gave an indication that hitting this one from the Bonneville Hot Springs parking lot (paid at the front desk the $5 fee and park off to the left). Upon entering the resort I realized this would have been perfect o have planned a post-hike hot spring sauna session ;) ...next time for sure. 

     This hike was being noted as a treacherous incline that rivaled some of the steepest in the gorge. Definitely had some scrambles that were great calorie burners and perfect spots to take some breaks...Ok quite a few breaks... After you get up on the main viewing point, its well worth it as it has some great spots to chill and look out over the valley. Well that's normally the case if you don't have a ton of cloud cover as seen below...so maybe if this is what you're looking for, hitting it on a clearer day may add a little boost to the after-uphill-battle reward :)

      Lastly, the hike was easy to access, great signs to indicate where you're going and a great spot to break away from the daily weekday grind! 

More info on the hike:
www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Heartbreak_Ridge