How An Ancient Japanese Ritual Gave Me A Massive Breakthrough In Life
My Misogi Challenge — The Pemi Loop
In the Pemmigasset Wilderness, I faced knee-breaking rocks, post-holing snow, haunting solitude, and pushed the edges of my physical limits. My legs cramped, my feet filled with blisters, and I had 17 miles left on a 33-mile loop.
The Pemi Loop is arguably one of the Whites’ most strenuous and beautiful hikes. With eight summits on the New Hampshire 48 lists of 4,000+ footers and an ascend of an additional four peaks 4K+, the loop offers a masochistic addiction for adventurers like myself.
Backpackers Magazine named The Pemi Loop the second most challenging day hike in America. And some ultra marathoners have been known to complete it in just seven hours.
Those moments in the hike where I’d thought I wouldn’t finish somehow gave me more strength as I persisted in the grueling terrain. At the end of two days, I came home a different man. My perspective on life changed. I found peace and happiness again. I found myself.
The Misogi Challenge
