It took at least 11 expeditions to climb Everest.
Eleven voyages, eleven treks, eleven base camps and who knows how many reconnaissance climbs, trial runs and abortive attempts.
It didn’t get that much easier once it had been done the first time: Mallory wasn’t the only one who didn’t come back down.
It took fireworks, flame-outs and fatalities to reach the moon. Laika and the crew of Apollo 1 footed part of the bill.
Aiming high and really meaning it isn’t easy, and it isn’t cheap.
You might have to go part way several times before you clear the bar.
It might be that someone else gets there by standing on your shoulders.
Whether it’s you or someone else who reaches the goal, learning to get to base camp reliably (and to build something generous and sustaining once there) is part of the journey.
Onwards and upwards.