In⋅cre⋅men⋅tal⋅ism: noun a policy of making changes, esp. social changes, by degrees; gradualism.
Origin: 1965–70; incremental + -ism
Related forms: in⋅cre⋅men⋅tal⋅ist, noun, adjective
-Dictionary.com 2009

It was Sunday morning around 7:30 and I was on the computer (emails, twitter, checking the web site, etc.), suddenly my wife sneaks into the room as asks if I’d like to hike Dog Mountain…Sensing her enthusiasm (and I’m usually up for a physical challenge), it didn’t take a lot of coaxing; and about an hour and half later we were at the trail head.

Dog Mountain, Washington, is in the Columbia River Gorge which separates Washington and Oregon. The mountain resides in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, along with Mount St. Helens. The steep assent to the summit of Dog Mountain is a strenuous jaunt of some 700 feet in the first half mile, which never lets up (more difficult route) for 2,948 feet over 3 miles. Along the way, depending on the time of year, you will encounter yellow balsam-root and purple lupine and a plethora of other flowers during late spring and early summer. You can also run into poison-oak, rattle-snakes and vertigo-inducing cliffs as well.

To give you an idea of the steepness of the trail, at times the path floor was about 3.5 feet from the frontal surface of my chest; you can easily reach out and touch the trail (you’re tempted to crawl on all fours in some places). Due to the angle of the slope I kept coming out of the back of my hiking shoes; as I pushed off with the balls of my feet.

To leave the relative comfort of sitting at your computer, relaxed and groggy—and go to stinging sweat dripping in your eyes and lactic acid build-up in your screaming thighs, there must be some kind of payoff…right?

Small Steps

Gurus from disciplines as diverse as spiritual-to-business-to-self-help, have long attempted to bring mindfulness to their devotees on the topic of process-vs-outcome. Are you experiencing the journey? Or are you like the kid in the back seat asking: “Are we there yet?” focusing only on the end goal and missing the trip. Bucky Fuller once said; “life is a highway and living it is taking all the exits.” Taking all the exits is about process, that is, the journey.

The payoff for Dog Mountain is the journey; it’s challenging and you do a lot of talking to yourself along the way. The promise of a reward at the end is understood with views from the summit which stretch up and down the Columbia to include; Beacon Rock far below and Mt. Hood peeking over Mt. Defiance; Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams sitting majestically behind you.

In order to reach these stunning views from the top you must take small steps consistently—this is not the path-of-least-resistance. The word “incrementalism” kept running through my mind (that, and the little engine that could). Use what ever tired metaphor you’d like, the idea remains timely and useful; taking small steps towards a payoff will win the day and get you to the summit.

Done in a Weekend: Hiking to the Summit or Modifying for Aging In Place

Home modifications for aging in place often happen by degrees depending on your scenario.

Here are a few suggested projects that can be done in a weekend:
-Lever-style handles can be changed out for door-knobs; and exchange knobs for handles on kitchen and bathroom cabinets
-Add more task lighting to a room or space, including more illumination on stairs
-Create a wider accessibility in doorways by installing offset hinges that will allow better accessibility in/out of rooms
-Remove area rugs from the floors (can cause falls)
-Add a sensor light to the front entry
-Consider removing a large piece(s) of seldom used furniture to facilitate a walker if needed
-Add a raised toilet seat
-Purchase a ramp for the entry way

So whether you’re hiking Dog Mountain or beginning that aging-in-place remodel, incremental steps will eventually get you to your goal.

Story by Jason Weeks:
A few hot summers ago on this trail, I stopped to catch my breath against a big fir. A hiker rounded the switchback below and strode past, never pausing. He looked about 80 years old, and wore a red flannel shirt, blue jeans, heavy boots, and an external frame pack that must have weighed his age in pounds. The guy wasn’t even sweating, and returned my greeting with an almost imperceptible nod. I don’t think he was a man, more a ghost of Oregon’s past, a relic of steam donkeys and choke setters, log rafts and the pulpy smell of river-side mills. A minute later, a younger hiker appeared below, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, with a medium internal-frame pack and lightweight hiking shoes. Panting, drenched in sweat, and slowly pulling himself up the grade, he asked, “Have you seen my father come by?”

That’s Dog Mountain.

See

For more remodeling tips on aging in place: Aging-in-place Checklists

(photo thetiredprop.wordpress.com)

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