This out of cycle article is a homage to all of us who keep pushing the boundaries in our chosen areas of expertise and passion in general, and specifically to Manjula, Viggy and Sunder on their recent successful completion of the famous Circuit O in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile. I have seen how they trained, pushed each other to excel and supported each other when needed and more importantly they have supported me in the same fashion along with other friends and family.
Prolog: During my active career days, when I interviewed for a job, I was always asked to state who I am (professionally speaking) in one or two sentences. My answer would be “it is my ability to take seemingly incoherent elements and synthesize them into a single strategy.” Little did that strength help me, but I digress. 🙂 Hopefully, with this article I can claim (however feebly) that I am not a prevaricator.
Three of my long-term friends, Manjula, Viggy and Sunder, who are also trained and skilled hikers recently embarked upon a difficult hike (at least for the two of them, Sunder already did Everest base camp), the popular Circuit O in Torre dl Paine, Patagonia, Chile. Circuit O hike is a 85-mile+ hike and takes about 9 days ( Expert Tips and Advice for Hiking the Torres del Paine O Circuit )
It is an arduous hike, and treacherous at times, and exhausting sometimes. My friends had a couple of days of 15+ miles per day hikes. We had a get together upon their return to celebrate their safe return, and jubilant success. They shared the customary photos, experiences and their state of mind on various days. The highs, the lows and everything in-between braving the unpredictable and inclement weather, the physical strain and mental stress.
The canonical form of their sum total of their experience of the trip can be elegantly summarized in the following T.S. Eliot quote “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” The above image is used with their permission.
I want to change the proverbial gears and talk about my recent efforts. I have been post processing my images since 2007 and I hated and dreaded using one of the most ubiquitous software – Photoshop (PS). I have always felt paralyzed when I opened an image in PS. As soon as the image is loaded, I froze not knowing where to start, let alone where to stop. This has consumed me for the last 18 years. One of my list items is to capture full arch of Milkyway and in my search for various photography tours I would come across the captivating pictures. Reasonably priced and Milkyway photo tours is an oxymoron, I soon discovered. I have shot some Milkyway shots with reasonable success but the post processing assiduously avoided using Photoshop. Recently I came across an advertisement for an Astro processing software that is a plug in for PS and unlike my current repertoire is not stand alone. I decided to take a plunge and buy it. I later blamed my impulse decision to lack of sleep. Here are the two images. One was processed circa 2020 NOT using PS and the second using Photoshop.
Here is the second one close to my vision of the image on that night.
Recently the Director of Education for a photo editing software, and a well-known and well-connected photographer Robert Vanelli, introduced the concept of the Misogi challenge that he has undertaken. I did some research on it and found the underlying concept of a personal Misogi challenge very interesting and topical to boot.
Misogi Challenge: A Misogi is more than a challenge—it’s a rite of passage. Rooted in ancient Japanese purification rituals, Misogi is about stripping away comfort, pushing beyond limits, and emerging transformed.
In its modern form, Misogi means undertaking a single, extreme challenge each year—something so intense, so demanding, that it redefines what you believe you’re capable of. Misogi is about transformation. Because real transformation happens at the edges of your limits.
Misogi Rules are simple. 1) Don’t die. Safety is paramount 2) Make it hard. Misogi is not just confined to taking up a physically pushing your limit activity. It can be applied other areas too. Though safety was not an issue in my case, the rule #2 was a real challenge.
Epilog: The adventure of my friends is certainly a textbook Misogi challenge and validated by their experiences. I would like to claim mine too, albeit what appears to be a weak or even contrived challenge but all I ask is put yourself in my shoes.
I urge you all my beloved readers to take on a Misogi challenge in the near future and wish you success with your endeavor(s).
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S.Eliot
