The Ascent and Descent: A Reflection on Life and the Summit of Pedra da Mina.
Standing at 2,798 meters (9,180 feet), Pedra da Mina is a relentless climb—a dance of ups and downs, much like our own lives. The path to the summit is never a straight line; it twists, falls away, and rises again, testing resilience with every step. The black-and-white photograph captures the raw truth of the journey: the dawn sky heavy with clouds after relentless rain, the biting wind, the cold that seeps into my bones. Yet, there it is—the reward. A sea of mountain peaks stretching into infinity, the quiet triumph of having endured. Life, too, is a series of ascents and descents. We push through storms, face the steep drops, and savor the fleeting moments at the top—where the view makes every struggle worth it. And then, inevitably, we descend again, carrying the memory of the summit to fuel the next climb. Because the joy isn’t just in reaching the peak—it’s in knowing you had the strength to keep going. (Photo: The fog-shrouded dawn at Pedra da Mina’s summit, a mosaic of exhaustion and elation.) *** PS. Number ONE on Explore on April 10th., 2025.