Ego, Humility, and Giving Back [1 Film, 8’42”]
Wulf thinks that one of the things in recovery is learning humility. He believes that mountains teach you humility. Rob points out that if you stand underneath a mountain and look up and then deny it’s not a power greater than yourself, then you’re going to struggle. It’s definitely somewhere where you need to leave your ego in the car park. If the weather changes for the worse, you need to have the humility to turn back.
Rob compares his recovery journey with being in the mountains. You’ve got a map and compass to get yourself up and down a mountain. On the other hand, you’ve got your Big Book and sponsor as your moral compass and guide on your recovery journey. Remaining teachable in recovery is very important, and that is like the situation in the mountains. Drugs and drink can kill us, as can a mountain easily kills us if we let our ego inflate enough. Mountains can be the best playground in the world, but they can also be very dangerous territory. For him, drink and drugs were a lovely playground at one point, but then they became dangerous territory. Wulf points out that if we lose that element of consciousness in the mountains, like we lose that bit of consciousness when we are drinking excessively and taking drugs, we are then into a Russian Roulette game.
When Rob was earlier thinking of ‘giving back’ in recovery, he asked himself what natural thing could he do to practice his 12-Steps and help others, other than through sponsoring others? When he was on the Mountain Leader course, he found the answer. Try and bring mountain guiding and recovery sobriety together. He did so by setting up Sober Snowdonia in January 2024.
Wulf asks about Sober Snowdonia and the aspirations the couple have for this initiative. Robs says that it is something he has to be careful about because his ego can drive him insane. He wants Sober Snowdonia to be what he wants it to be… now! Most of the time, he’s happy with the pace it’s developing. However, he sometimes get upset with himself when he thinks he’s not doing enough. However, he realises he has got to come to terms with the fact that he’s not available to take people out every day, or every weekend. He wants to run Sober Snowdonia activities on a more regular basis. And his end goal is to offer more than just mountain walks, like outdoor and indoor climbing. ‘But one day at a time, one step at a time,’ he says. Rob believes that it is is such a natural and beautiful way to give back. And mountains are on their doorstep. It would be a shame not to use that fact to their advantage.
Lianne finds it really hard talking about Sober Snowdonia, because it’s Rob’s project and he started it off. She is always there to give her advice and support in whatever way she can. But other than that, she tries to take a step back and allow him on his journey. His love for the mountains is a bit different to hers, and he is passionate about what he does for other people, especially taking them out. He has got more passion than her for walking uphill. She loves the mountains, particularly when she and Rob reach a scrambling stage. She has a burst of energy when that situation arises, being very calm at that point. She doesn’t know where that comes from.
This conversation took place in March 2025. Rob is Founder of an Eryi (Snowdonia)-based walking and outdoor community dedicated to helping people recovering from addiction and mental health struggles. Lianne is a Duty Officer at Penrhyn House, the residential part of North Wales Recovery Communities in Bangor.