My legs, still recovering, feet bandaged and blistered, I had just completed the hardest hike of my life the day before. However, I found myself climbing another mountain, this one coloured by contradiction.

There I lay, immobile, shaking uncontrollably, experiencing the worst case of heatstroke in my life. Feet pounding, legs jelly, and my head swirling with a high temperature and unregulated emotions. Propped up on my pack, which I had dumped onto the first free tent platform I saw when I finally arrived at camp over an hour ago, I questioned everything: Why did I agree to put myself through this? Will I even be able to finish this hike? Are the photos and stories worth putting myself through this level of discomfort?