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Join James Petrossi in 'Leave the Feed: 30 Days of Disconnect' as he interviews creators and mental health advocates about their journeys, the digital quagmire, and tips to create a healthier relationship with social media.
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James Petrossi: Hello and welcome to Leave the Feed 30 Days of Disconnect. Today is Day 10. Beyond Imagination and with me is someone that we're gonna get real with Before we talk about the beauty imaginative nature of this world and planet earth. Lucy Westlake, welcome to the show.
Lucy: So excited to be here. Thank you for having me, James.
James Petrossi: Oh, so excited to have you and for you to share your story. So how did this passion for mountaineering unfold, and where has this journey taken you?
Lucy: It started
James Petrossi: I.
Lucy: a long time ago. Honestly, growing up my parents kind of raised me in a very outdoors manner. I grew up in a super tiny town, 15 permanent residence. From Michigan. So yeah, [00:01:00] that kind of lent itself to a lot of adventure and journeying. We road tripped a lot, camped a lot, and then I started mountaineering when I was.
12 years old. I, well I say mountaineering as in like glacier mountaineering, I started hiking up different mountains when I was seven years old. Doing this 50 state high points. So that's what really got me interested in climbing mountains. And then when I was, yeah, when I was 12, I went and did Mount Rainier, so my first big glacier mountain.
And then. I haven't stopped since then. I, I love mountaineering. It's a huge part of who I am in my life, but that's what got me started.
James Petrossi: Wow. And tell me about like, the experience when you're younger and you're doing your first summits and you're experiencing what it's like to be either navigating talis or forests or, or just being out there and was it that just really lit you up about the experience where you've now taken it to wonderful [00:02:00] places of like continued exploration?
Lucy: Yeah, I, I just loved the adventure of it all when I was younger. I loved not really knowing exactly what was gonna happen. And just being somewhere nature really felt like home to me from a young age. Like I kind of feel like. I'm going home every time I go out and do a hike or do a climb. And I do really like, I don't know, just connect that back to, to my childhood and to how I was raised.
'cause that's, that was just a big, huge part of it. So it kind of feels natural almost to be doing those things. And it felt. I felt kind of bored whenever I was in school. You know, like just sitting in a classroom like I really think young kids are meant to, are, meant to be moving their bodies and exploring.
And it's something that I realized is a huge value of mine even now, like later in life where I want my career to go. Just thinking ahead into the future. I want something, some career where I can, I can be moving my body every day and I can be in [00:03:00] nature every day and not have to. Be at a desk.
It's just just not who I am.
James Petrossi: It's making me wanna break free from the chair right now and get outside. But you know, you talk about that feeling of being home when you're out there and out in nature. Are there specific hikes or mountains when or routes that you go on regularly where you say like, oh my gosh, like this just feels awesome.
Like, what are those hikes for you?
Lucy: Definitely. Well the first mountain I ever did, which was a tiny little hike up in Michigan, just a three mile little hike. Right over, like right near my hometown. I, every time I go back, I always run this mountain. And it's called Mount Baldy. And I know like every single twist and turn of it, I mean, I've done it so many times.
So that feels like home not only 'cause it's in my home, but also because it's my first time I ever ran, my first time I ever hiked. Which are two like huge, huge activities that my life is [00:04:00] centered around now. So that definitely feels like home. And then Mount Rainier. I'm mountain guide now during all my summers and I'm planning on doing that as my career post-college.
And I do Mount Rainier, the mu route up Rainier, the disappointment cleaver called different mounts. But that route, I do that a ton. And that is the first. Mountain I ever climbed the first route I ever did on the glacier. So that's really what propelled me into glacier mountaineering. So that also really feels like home And Mount Baker also.
And then with Cascades is another mountain that feels so close to my heart. 'cause that's where I really, that's my first guided expedition I ever did. And I just, yeah, got the love of, found, the love of guiding from that mountain. So all of those mountains I kind of connect different like times in life to and definitely all feel very special and close to my heart.
James Petrossi: And what are some of the most challenging. Hikes that you've [00:05:00] had, what are some of those moments where you're like, oh my gosh, this was on
Lucy: Mm-hmm.
James Petrossi: and I'm, I'm so impressed with myself that I've made it.
Lucy: Definitely the hardest mountain I've ever done is K two. That mountain, I actually made it three hours from the summit and did a actually summit, which was a bit of a bummer, but it was just really dangerous conditions. And there was a lot of people, a lot of avalanche danger, and I ended up being in an avalanche and then descending after that.
So that mountain is. Notoriously, one of the hardest mountains in the world, one of the most dangerous mountains in the world as well. Just because of the slope of the train and the avalanche danger and the technicality, it's a lot of mixed snow and rock and ice. So that was a very big challenge. And I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into, but it was, it was a really amazing experience.
I definitely grew a lot from it. As a mountaineer. And then recently my challenge has just been getting into guiding because it's a whole new game when you are responsible for people, other people's safety, not just your own, and you have to learn [00:06:00] so many more technical skills. Be on all the time. You don't really get a break.
You're always shoveling something, you know, like resetting tents making water from snow, doing all these different activities. So it's not just climbing the mountain, it's also getting people to the top, which is yeah, really difficult. But yeah, so I, I've definitely has been my more recent challenge and I've gotten really into rock and ice climbing and haven't done any huge objectives there.
More just like. Getting into it, going outdoors and doing some multi-pitch routes, but I'm hoping this summer to do some big alpine objectives in Washington.
James Petrossi: Well, let's go back into you as a guide in a little bit. I want to talk about social media and mental health. Obviously, you're Gen Z, you grew up with social media. It's part of your existence as a human, as a climber. How has social media really benefited you and what challenges have you felt, you know, with the need to put yourself out there [00:07:00] in the feed?
Lucy: Yeah, that's something that's, it has been a big part of my journey and my relationship with it has changed a lot over the years. Let's see. First, I mean, I. How I grew up was I didn't have any access to even tv. My family was like the last people to get iPhones. We all had flip phones.
I didn't have a phone till I was in eighth grade and I begged my parents because I actually got lost in the woods. And then they were like, okay, you need to have a phone. So I definitely started out with a next to zero relationship with social media. And then kind of just like in high school was a pretty typical, consumer relationship where I posted things about me and my friends, but nothing big, nothing really about my mountaineering. Senior year of high school. I, right at the very end of senior year, summited Everest. And then just the media exposure I had just exploded.
I was doing like. Multiple podcasts and TV and radio interviews every single [00:08:00] day. My social media grew a lot. I think it went up to like 10 or 15,000 followers from like 2000. So like became like bigger. And I kind of was like, oh, maybe this is something that. You know, it would be cool to monetize.
And I had like, I was an umpire in high school, so I had like no income stream basically. So I was like, oh, this would be pretty cool if I could like, make money off of social media and things I'm already doing, I already loved to do. So I did try to do that. I tried to document different clients.
I did and I was a. Really competitive run. I was going into college for running, so decided to try to like market that platform as well. And I did pretty well. I grew my following to like over 30,000 followers, but I just like didn't like it what I was doing at all. Like it was, it became the point where I was just constantly like thinking about what would be good footage in my life and I just hated it.
It was something I really. Did [00:09:00] not enjoy doing. So I, and I kind of like went back and forth. I was like, oh, I'm gonna take a break, maybe come back to it. And I just never really wanted to come back to it. And I do try, I do think, like sometimes I come across things that I think would really benefit the people that I, that follow me.
And. I do post those things, but I'm not really focused on like growing my following, not really focused on monetizing it. I don't really do brand deals and things like that. I, you know, I post brands if I really enjoy them, but not really for money. And I don't know, I just, it stresses me out. It makes me so anxious and stressed.
Like this idea of like monetizing through Instagram, like I do wanna monetize mountaineering. I'm going into guiding and that's. What that is, but it's just monetizing it in a different way and it's a way I enjoy a lot more. So yeah, now I just kind of post on social media for fun whatever I want with really no agenda, which I [00:10:00] really enjoy doing it that way.
James Petrossi: Yeah, I
Lucy: Okay.
James Petrossi: for that because it must have been a totally different experience. you had that level of fame from doing Everest and all that media exposure, and you're hiking and it feels like home, and then when now you're out there in you're nature and you feel obligation to capture footage, what did you feel like it took away from you, you know, by directing your consciousness to like the digital device?
Lucy: I felt like it took away my authenticity. I felt like I went from going into the mountains because I loved being there, and I just. You know, it felt like home. It was all these like amazing thing things to me. This place I loved. And then it felt like I was then going in there just to get content and to like grow my following and things like that.
And I was like, oh, I need to do a mountain now because I don't have enough footage anymore. And like. Things like that. And it just, yeah, it, it didn't feel like I was authentically [00:11:00] climbing because I just love to climb anymore. It felt like there was a agenda to it and it took away my enjoyment of it a lot.
James Petrossi: Now this whole section's about beyond imagination and going out into nature and really just taking time, like you're saying, to it all in. And you know, I'm sure get a euphoric rush from the hike itself, the adrenaline, the physicality of it, looking at. The beautiful landscapes that you've seen, the highest peaks of all the 50 states, you know, what do those moments mean to you when you're an explorer of earth and seeing it from such a unique vantage point that so few people ever get to see.
Lucy: It's amazing. There's nothing like it. It's really addictive, almost like you go back to regular life and it's not that things seem dull, like I feel like I. Have learned to appreciate the beauty and the small things too just of regular life. [00:12:00] But it's just this huge grand scale that it's just like hard to even comprehend when you're out there.
Like if you've ever gone to like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or like a, a beautiful national park like that, it's kind of like that. But imagine there's no one around you and no one else. Really, like, knows or about it. So it is just this kind of, this very unique thing. And it is something that I, it is very fun and fulfilling to share, but in a way that's not like pressure to, to like monetize and pressure to to continue to make content no matter what. Like, it's really nice to just authentically be like, oh wow, this is beautiful. People would love seeing this and put it out there. Or just capturing it for your own memory. Like maybe the photo doesn't usually do it justice.
Like it's always way more beautiful in person, but it's nice to just have, I love looking through my camera roll. And just seeing those times and remembering how it felt. Yeah, it's so special.
James Petrossi: Now as a [00:13:00] guide, when you're taking people out, what's digital dependence like? What's their disconnection journey like? Is it something that
Lucy: Hmm.
James Petrossi: with them? Is it something that they struggle with as they're out with you on these, these hikes?
Lucy: Yeah, that's a good question. It's really all over the board. Super different depending on the client. And I try not to really meddle with, with what they wanna do. Like for some people this is, well, for all people it's a vacation. And for some people it is like a time where they just wanna like disconnect and.
Forget about the world and just be in the present moment. For others it's something that, like an accomplishment that they've worked so hard for, trained for. They wanna document it, they wanna like share it with their friends and family. And I think that's totally fair too. I, I love both ideas I think are amazing and I don't think, like, I don't think one's better than the other.
I think there is like a total sense of, of. Being [00:14:00] very disconnected no matter what you do. Like people are really only pulling out their phones to take photos because there's just not time to. Do other things. I mean, you're, you're climbing for 16 hours on end on Summit Day. Like, you don't, we don't allow people to take out their photos and stop and like, you gotta keep the schedule, you gotta keep the pace.
So there is this kind of just ingrained pace that doesn't allow you to really be on your phone much. But of course during breaks, like people go and take photos and I'll take photos for people. And I think that's a really beautiful thing. But I also like really respect people who are like, no, I just wanna like, be in the moment, not take any photos or videos things like that.
But it is a big part of, like, what we do as a guide is like, I ask if anyone wants a photo at this, especially at the summit. We share like a shared drive at the end of the trip with all their photos and, and things like that. So it is part of it, but really just the, the photos and videos, it's phones usually are a huge part of the trip in general.
James Petrossi: And how has your [00:15:00] experience being a guide strengthened you as a leader in the world of mountaineering? Like how have you grown from that and where do you see yourself continuing to grow as a result of this?
Lucy: Yeah, great question. I mean, most of the strongest climbers are either professional climbers or guides. That's just because those people are able to be in the mountains all the time. They're making money off of it. They don't have to have another career going on at the same time. And you know, to be a professional mountaineer, that was one of the reasons I eventually wanted to grow my social media.
'cause I thought it would be really amazing to be able to make a career out of it through sponsorships and, and brand deals and things like that. But again, it just wasn't really for me. The posting and the going, the following. I realized I would rather enter into it, into a professional career in a different way.
And it's allowed me to gain so much mentorship. So many find so many climbing partners because mountaineering isn't, you can't do it alone. Like when [00:16:00] you go over crevasses, you have to have climbing partners. At least you should have climbing partners. So it's a very social sport and the fact that you need other people to do it.
So that was always something I really struggled with finding. Being from the Midwest and not really growing up around people who climbed. So mountain guiding has not only allowed me to just be in the mountains more, get stronger, learn more technical skills by being in the more, but also just to find people to be awesome climbing partners, to do really cool objectives with which is something that I is amazing and has held me back for a long time, so I'm very thankful for that.
James Petrossi: So what other mountains are on your hit list or your wishlist, and what is it about those climbs that excites you?
Lucy: Yeah, so recently other than mountain guiding I've gotten really into rock climbing and ice climbing and ski mountaineering. So those are kind of these other angles of guiding that need to be [00:17:00] incorporated to make it a year round career. And also things that I've really loved and typically I have done.
Some work on rock and ice, but not to the extent of like rock climbing and ice climbing. So about three years ago. I got really into rock climbing. Started doing it a lot. Do it like four days a week, just training. So this a lot of my objectives coming up are more rock climbing focus peaks. So in Washington there's peaks like forbidden and the North Ridge of Baker, which actually mix of ice and rock the counts the couch are out on Mount Rainier.
Just different, more technical climbs. And I mean, there's so many climbs where there's like 2000 vertical feet of just five, nine climbing and like Chad climbing and it's, it's really amazing. Washington offers so much. So those are kind of like my short term goals just to improve my skills and those other aspects of mountaineering that I'm not as strong at.
So that I can really guide anything. And then my, like long [00:18:00] term objective is is on Denali. There's a route that is. Really difficult. I'm blanking on the name, oh, it's called the ca it's the Caine Round Denali.
And I had one of my good friends do it two summers ago. He's one of my mentors. He's. Like a 30-year-old guy that works for ALP Sense and is like super, super strong. We rock climb a lot together and he's awesome. Rock and ice guide and he did it a few summers ago. So that's like kind of my long-term goal is to be able to do that.
So I gotta improve my rock and ice skills a lot to be able to do that mountain.
James Petrossi: When you're climbing on ice, type of focus and like directed consciousness is needed to make sure that have the technical skills, the safety skills, and that you can overcome the barriers of fatigue. Like what state is different in that world and how do you adapt to Mother Earth to like [00:19:00] find that state in these moments.
Lucy: Yeah, ICE is, you do have to be a lot more in tune with with the state of the ice and just yeah, what the season has done. The, the history of the ice when you're on it because it's changes every single day. Like rock also changes and it can also, you know, vary and you need to pay attention to that terrain as well.
But ice is just this whole new. Beast, really. And it takes years and years and years of mastery and, you know. Even the most experienced guide sometimes makes, make mistakes because there's some things you just can't predict. But you do have to have just this wealth of knowledge. You know, there's, I mean, it goes even from like avalanche conditions, like being able to dig snow pits and read the snow and the snow pack to going up to ice and like knowing if it's too, you know, too thin or if there's too many like concavities in it.
There's air pockets. There's so much that goes into it. So it's, it is [00:20:00] really just like learning from people around you, learning from the conditions and going out a lot and doing it, and doing it in a way that that's safe enough that allows you to keep doing it next time, you know? And and just learning from it every single time.
Like when you do make a mistake. You know, hopefully it's not a detrimental mistake and just don't make it again, you know, like learning from those things. So yeah, that's, you do really have to be connected with your own physical limits the limits of the ice and what, you know, what's given to you on that day, and then your gear too, and just knowing what your gear can handle, how it's supposed to be used, different uses for it.
That maybe aren't like the traditional uses, but ways it can help you in other ways. Yeah, it's pretty awesome, but it's definitely like a lifelong learning scenario. I just feel like I'm just dipping my feet in.
James Petrossi: Yeah, like you mentioned K two and the avalanche and experience, [00:21:00] did that. Leave you trepidatious about doing other big hikes or hiking on ice, or how did that impact you and how did you overcome that to continue, you know, marching forward?
Lucy: Yeah, it definitely was a scare. It was the closest I feel I've ever been to death in the mountains, and it did make me very hyper aware for a long time about avalanches. Like whenever I heard something that could be an avalanche, I would like jump and, you know, look up and see where, where it was. But.
I never, it never scared me to the point where I was, didn't wanna climb or didn't wanna try new things in the mountains. But it did really make me aware of the limitation of knowledge. And like the. Gosh, the per mentality on some of the bigger mountains, especially the 8,000 meter peaks, like there is so much pressure to summit on those mountains because clients have put [00:22:00] in so much money, so much time, so much effort to get there.
And there's bonuses that are, you know, given if, if you know, your shepa gets you to the summit. And a lot of. Just factors that put so much pressure on summiting that unsafe decisions are made up there. And there's almost like, you know, you think you up there, there's like the best of the best mountaineers, and then you just assume that, you know, someone will be able.
To know what they're doing, or someone will, if you fall into a cva, someone will have that equipment to rescue you even if you're not carrying it. And then if everyone's thinking like that and no one ends up actually bringing it, that's a big issue and that's something that. That I saw for the first time on K two and I like paid attention to and tuned into.
And it did really make me want to be self, I mean, I don't wanna say self-sufficient 'cause you do always need like partners to keep you safe, but have the knowledge to be able to keep myself and my partner safe. And if [00:23:00] a situation does arise. Be able to handle it, not just blindly rely on other people and assume that there's the gear and knowledge out there to handle the situation.
So it definitely made me a lot more cautious in those ways of climbing. But I definitely think it was a great thing that that happened because, you know, I, I'm sure someday I'll run into this scenario where. That herd mentality will come into effect and I'm, maybe I'll be the only one who is bringing the correct gear and things like that.
So so yeah, I, I definitely learned a lot. It did make me more cautious in some ways, but not in the fact of like not trying new things.
James Petrossi: Now. Right now there's some people listening that are experiencing maybe a different type of avalanche, and it's the avalanche of
Lucy: I.
James Petrossi: social media and they're choosing to go on this disconnection journey or listening, just trying to get some more tips on. How do I have a healthier relationship with social media? What would be your encouragement [00:24:00] for anyone that feels lost in the feed, maybe has lost their authenticity and needs to reconnect with themselves and with nature, and might feel that, you know, summiting K two's probably outta reach, but how can they do like the little things that give them that feeling that you get every time that you quote unquote get to your home in nature?
Lucy: Well I'm definitely subject to, you know, all the things that social media, like the addiction, it brings and things like that. There's sometimes where I definitely notice that I'm like addicted to scrolling on Instagram and things like that. And whenever I do what always like kind of helps me reset is just kind of like.
Going on a trip for like four days where I don't have access to internet, or I just like, I don't know, I put my , phone on airplane mode and tell people I'm not gonna really be in touch. And I feel like that always just like resets me. Like even if, you know, I go back to my day-to-day life and I do use my phone, I do use [00:25:00] Instagram.
I just. It just feels like I've kind of like cold turkeyed it for a bit, and it allows me to have a much healthier relationship with it going forward, because usually I feel a lot better and more happy when I'm not using it. It just like, I don't know, it's, it just makes me feel more productive and and better as a whole.
And. I don't think like you should go into it thinking that you're gonna have some big revelation or putting too much pressure on it. But just like enjoying not having it and like maybe testing yourself for a bit and seeing if you can do it and just enjoy kind of where you are. And I still take photos and things like that.
I just don't. I go on social media and I don't text people as much. I think there's a lot of pressure to respond to texts as soon as we get them. And sometimes, like that gives me so much anxiety. So sometimes I'm just like, okay, I need to just like not worry about it. Like if it's an emergency and like my mom really needs to get into contact with me or something, yes, like I'll, [00:26:00] I'll answer it, but like, just not really feeling that pressure to answer.
It's so healing. I really love it. And it doesn't have to be like you go somewhere without internet. You could just like choose to take a hike every day for like a few hours or go camping overnight for like one night and turn off your phone for those two days or something like that. Like it really, yeah, it really helps a lot.
James Petrossi: Thank you so much. It's been so inspiring listening to your story. I love your insights and your perspective on conscious social media consumption, and congratulations on all of your achievements. You've been such a phenomenal guest, Lucy. Thank you so much.
Lucy: Yeah, of course. It was great talking with you. I hope some people find some help in what I've said.
James Petrossi: And for those of you listening, share, leave the feed with a friend. Don't be afraid to disconnect and have an epic day.