Hi, I’m Jake Norton, and I tend to wear a lot of hats: climber, guide, photographer, filmmaker, UN Ambassador, writer, father, husband, and so on. I guess that all points in one disparately focused direction: undefined.
I’ve never been one for strict definitions when it comes to life. For me, life has always been much like a mountain: there’s a distant end in sight, always looming far overhead and pushing us onward and upward. But, there are myriad valleys and ridges, winding trails, and unknown passes to get us there. And, sometimes the closer we get, the more we realize that distant summit was but a false one, and the real goal lies somewhere else, waiting to be discovered.
Most of my life - personal and professional - has revolved around the vertical realm, the high mountains of the world, but I’ve always been drawn to seeking out the stories, the nuance, the hidden valleys and remote villages often missed along the way. Our society tends to push us into silos of thought and experience, forcing us ever upward toward the summit, the C-Suite, the end goal, almost at all costs. For me, the deepest joys and sparks of passion have always come not from going ever higher, but from seeing a new mystery, an unanswered (for me) question, a trail branching off and disappearing into the unknown—and then following it, seeking the answers and the knowledge and the filling of a new cup.
