Up the Mountain

Eight words for the long climb from the trail to the top.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 summit noun
2. 2 boulder noun
3. 3 scale verb
4. 4 clutch verb
5. 5 steep adjective
6. 6 fearless adjective
7. 7 cautiously adverb
8. 8 steadily adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Summit. A noun. I file it under the very top of a mountain, the highest point of all, where there is no more up to go. When a hiker says they reached the summit, they mean they stood at the peak with the whole world below them. It is not the side of the mountain and not the trail; it is the top, and only the top. State it precisely: the summit is the highest point.

The climbers reached the summit just as the sun came up.

Nelson's word

noun

Boulder. A noun. I file it under a very large rock, far bigger than a stone you could pick up and toss. A boulder can be as big as a car, or bigger, sitting right in the middle of a trail. It is not a pebble and not a handful of gravel; it is one great heavy rock. When a story says a boulder rolled down the slope, picture something large enough to make you step aside. State it precisely: a boulder is a very large rock.

A huge boulder blocked the narrow path up the hill.

Vinny's word

verb

Scale! To climb up something tall and steep, hand over hand, higher and higher until you reach the top! When the climbers scale the cliff, they do not walk around it, they go straight up its face like heroes! That is the verb, and it is mine. But beware, this word has a secret. A fish wears a scale too, one of the little shiny plates on its skin, and that is a noun, a thing, not an action. Same spelling, different job. We sort those hats in Practice.

The climbers scale the steep cliff before noon.

Vinny's word

verb

Clutch! To grab a thing and hold on tight, so tight your knuckles turn white and nothing can shake it loose! When the hikers clutch the rope, they grip it with all their strength because letting go is not an option! That is the verb, and it is mine. You do not clutch something gently; you clutch it like your life depends on it, because sometimes on a mountain it does. Hold on, hero, and hold on tight.

The hikers clutch the rope as the wind pushes hard against them.

Jake's word

adjective

Steep. An adjective, and mine, describing a slope that rises sharply, so sharply it is hard to climb. A steep hill goes almost straight up, and your legs feel every step of it. Its Frown is gradual, the gentle slope that rises slowly and easily. Could we be more specific than saying a hill was hard to walk up? We could say it was steep, and the reader feels the climb at once. Magnifique.

The steep trail climbed straight up the side of the mountain.

Jake's word

adjective

Fearless. An adjective, and mine, describing someone who shows no fear at all. Look how the word is built: fear, plus less, which means without. A fearless climber is a climber without fear, one who keeps going where others would freeze. Its Smile is brave, and its Frown is timid, the person too scared to try. Could we be more specific than saying a climber was not scared? We could call her fearless, one clean word for a heart without fear.

The fearless climber never looked down at the long drop below.

Benny's word

adverb

Cautiously. This is an adverb, and it is mine, because I coach how an action is done. Cautiously means in a careful, watchful way, taking your time and checking before you move. When she cautiously tests each rock, she does not rush; she looks, she taps, she makes sure it holds. On a mountain, cautiously can be the word that keeps you safe. Make your writing sharper, team: do not just say she moved, tell me she moved cautiously, and I can see her being careful.

She cautiously tested each rock before she put her weight on it.

Benny's word

adverb

Steadily. An adverb, and mine, and one of my favorites. Steadily means in a slow, even way that never stops, one step, then the next, then the next, without rushing and without quitting. The climber who moves steadily is not the fastest, but she is the one who reaches the top. Make it sharper, team: do not just say they climbed, tell me they climbed steadily, and I hear the even beat of a team that will not give up. You can do that, and here is how: pick the adverb that shows the how.

The team climbed steadily, one careful step after another.