It feels like summer, in some respects, is almost over. Back to school supplies line Target shelves and college football attire can be found everywhere. And even with the excessive heat during these last August days, there is a nighttime crispness to the air here in the Pacific Northwest, which signals that fall is just around the corner.
So, not to miss these fleeting few precious weeks, last weekend, I pulled out my hiking gear (tent, sleeping bag, poles, and kitchen gear) and strapped on my backpack (all thirty pounds after two liters of water), and headed out for a few overnights at my favorite hiking trails. The forest has always been a special place for me to ground myself, test my outdoor skills and my resolve, and give my head time to clear and think about future plans, as there is no cell reception or outside noise to distract me from my own thoughts as my feet pound the forest floor.
My goal was to hike about ¾ of the way around Mount Hood (one of my most favorite trails): a good 35-mile hike with some elevation change, but not too much, as everything starts and ends around the 4,200 ft elevation.
So, I set out early Friday morning with the goal of hiking 10 miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. No small hike with a 30-pound pack, but certainly doable. And thankfully, only one major river crossing which required us to remove our shoes and carefully navigate our way across in knee deep rushing water. Each day after that would be another 10 miles with similar elevation ups and downs and two or three more river crossings. But in one quick chat, my plans changed dramatically!
About 6 miles into my hike, I met a very young couple coming the opposite direction who I struck up a quick conversation with. They had just completed the two sections that I still needed to hike the following two days. Apparently, the trail was full of blowdowns (trees that had fallen onto the trail) from a storm this last winter. Plus, a bridge had been washed out on the last section, making the trip much more arduous due to the steep incline into a valley and out the other side (all sand). Apparently, it took this young couple all day to go 6 miles with two very intense river crossings. Needless to say, this was not my idea of a fun hike, nor was I in shape to do this. Concern started to creep into my head on how I was getting out.
Plan B
I had to figure out a way (without going backwards, because who wants to do that) to head North through a trail system that I was somewhat familiar with. The problem was, I didn’t have the map on my app, which told me where my best camping would be or where there would be the best water refill opportunities. Given there was no cell service, downloading wasn’t an option. And water is life on the trail. Without it or not knowing where to find it, the anxiety level rises quickly.
The great thing about hiking is that you meet a lot of like-minded people who also are there to make sure they are safe crossing intense streams, have enough food and water, and always have a pay-it-forward attitude. And that is what saved me. According to my calculations, the best pick-up spot would be 40 miles away, which meant two 20-mile days. More doubt and more calculating was now happening in my brain. Can my legs carry me? Do I have enough food and water? Can I get this done in two days? “No,” was the answer to all those questions. I had to find plan C, as I was not going to make it 40 more miles by 8pm the next day.
Plan C
My Plan C came in the form of this tiny young girl (Minnie Mouse is her trail name) from South Korea who barely spoke English but was here for 6 months to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in its entirety. She shared key watering holes with me from her app, and we mapped out the best way to navigate through a pass to a parking lot where my husband could drive in and pick me up. She became my guide, my hiking partner, and such a joy to get to meet. While I wasn’t uncomfortable spending the nights in the woods or hiking by myself, coming here by herself from so far away to hike alone out in the wilderness with little English was a completely different story altogether. This girl had some balls. And it was also very clear that nothing was deterring her from completing her entire hike of 2,650 miles. I was in awe of her fortitude, kindness, and generosity to help me find my way. But it also came in the most unassuming package.
After a rather intense 3-mile (1500 foot) uphill climb out of the dense forest, Minnie Mouse and I found our way to a pass that had outside access and a parking lot where my husband could come get me and take me home…unfortunately, a day early, but not without good stories of my adventures and a hot bath that night to soak my very very sore legs.
Lessons Learned
For whatever reason, for me, hiking has become such an eye-opening experience in so many ways that go beyond the beauty that surrounds you at every turn and switchback. The whole trek reminded me, again, of some very important lessons, which I can tie back to my role as a technology M&A advisor in my day-to-day life:
- Never assume anything – My first mistake was to assume that the trail was in great shape when it wasn’t. And therefore, I was somewhat unprepared for my eventual pivot. Thinking a buyer has ready cash is also an assumption you should not make. Many independent sponsors act like PE firms when, in fact, they have to go out to raise the funds once they lock you into an LOI.
- Sometimes you just have to pivot directions – i.e., 40 miles in two days with my limited time wasn’t going to happen and, therefore, I needed to pivot. As much as you (as the seller) want a buyer to work out, sometimes they just don’t for reasons beyond your control. You just have to quickly pivot and move on, because you cannot run the risk that employees, competitors, customers, and vendors find out that your company is on the market. FUD then sets in.
- Looks can be deceiving and, in this case, the biggest finds can come wrapped in the smallest packages. Minnie Mouse turned out to be quite the little powerhouse and a true friend on the trail. Had I just seen her hike by me, I would have made other assumptions. The same is so true for those quiet stealthy buyers who turn out to have quietly amassed a large revenue stream and positive cash flow, where they can make a full cash offer without a blink for the right seller. Who would have guessed!
My hope is that you, too, had some precious moments this summer: some time to unwind and ingest a few valuable lessons that life throws at you in the most unusual ways and, ideally, the opportunity to surround yourself in beauty during the process.
Happy Trails.
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