Essay: What the Mountains Teach: Rick Ridgeway's Legacy of Purpose
By Steve House
Some truths emerge slowly, revealed over years of reflection and experience. Others strike like lightning, illuminating a path we hadn’t seen before. For Rick Ridgeway, a lifetime spent traversing the edges of the map—and the edges of himself—led to one simple realization: Values drive purpose. And purpose drives you.
Rick has taken this truth to heart across continents and careers, guiding him as a mountaineer, storyteller, environmentalist, and leader. It’s been his compass through the most remote wildernesses, from the Amazon to Antarctica, and the highest peaks, from K2 to Kilimanjaro. But what makes his story resonate deeply isn’t just his achievements—it’s his unrelenting commitment to something larger than himself.
Purpose Beyond the Summit
For most of us, the mountains symbolize freedom and challenge. But Rick Ridgeway sees them as something more: a teacher. Each ascent, each traverse is an opportunity to learn—not just about the terrain, but about oneself. Rick once wrote, “The best journeys answer questions that we would have never thought to ask at the outset.” For him, the mountains aren’t a place to conquer; they’re a mirror reflecting who we truly are.
Rick’s journey began with personal ambition. Like many climbers, his early days in the mountains were driven by ego and the desire to prove himself. But his experiences—both triumphant and painful—taught him that true purpose lies in leaving something meaningful for others. “If there’s any kind of immortality,” Rick reflects, “it’s knowing that our lives contributed to those who come after us, encouraging them to think a little differently about their own lives.”
This shift in perspective came with time and loss. Rick lost friends in the mountains—some to avalanches, others to the slow erosion of relationships. He has wrestled with his mortality more than once. Yet these experiences, rather than closing him off, opened him up to the deeper truths of life.
Finding Purpose in Partnership
Living the Legacy
Rick’s life work, in its simplest form, has been paying attention to the stories the mountains tell us, to the lessons hidden in loss, and to the power of aligning values with actions. His ability to balance ambition with authenticity has allowed him to build not just a career but a legacy.
This is perhaps best captured in Rick’s own seven-word poem:
“Everything is connected. Everything changes. Pay attention.”
These words remind us that life is dynamic, and purpose isn’t something we find once and hold forever. Instead, it’s something we continually rediscover, shaped by the connections we make, the changes we endure, and the attention we give to the world around us.
Listening to the Mountains
Rick Ridgeway’s life teaches us that the means to an end—the tools we use, the paths we take—are always secondary to the why behind them. Whether we carry an ice ax, a camera, or a notebook, what matters is how we use these tools to uncover and live our purpose.
The mountains speak to those who listen. For Rick, they’ve spoken of resilience, humility, and interconnectedness. They’ve taught him and us through his work that the most meaningful pursuits are never about personal glory. They’re about making a difference—however small or large—in the lives of others.
When we listen closely, we hear the same truth that Rick has lived: Values drive purpose. And purpose drives us forward.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:
Exploring the poetic soul of the mountains.
Voice of the Mountains explores the mental and emotional adventures found in discovering who we are and what we’re capable of. Here we engage in self-reflection and humility, and embrace the beauty and struggle of the alpine experience equally.
