How to Eat a Mountain - Episode 24 - The Musers The Podcast

Transcript

Gordon (0:00)

Coca Cola for the big, for the small, the short and the tall. Peacemakers, risk takers for the optimists, pessimists for long distance love for introverts and extroverts, the thinkers and the doers for old friends and new Coca Cola for everyone.

Craig (0:27)

Pick up some Coca Cola at a store near you.

Gordon (0:30)

Why is she going out with another guy if she's well, why is she going out with you when she's got a boyfriend?

Craig (0:36)

Maybe she fell under the spell of one Craig Miller and she just could not resist.

Gordon (0:44)

Welcome to the Musers the Podcast. This is episode 24, how to eat a Mountain.

Craig (0:51)

Welcome to another edition of the Musers the Podcast. I'm Craig.

George (0:56)

I'm George.

Gordon (0:56)

I'm Gordon, your favorite.

Craig (0:59)

This episode is sandwiched between our Thanksgiving episode of last week and our upcoming Christmas episode next week. And we should probably do a New Year's episode, a Valentine's episode, a St. Patrick's episode, a boxing Day episode, et cetera. We'll keep you posted. This week we're going to talk about the hardest things we have ever done.

Craig (1:21)

Now this could be something physical, could be a relationship, it could be a puzzle, it could be a college course. I think we're going to have a lot of good stories to get to today.

George (1:31)

You guys like puzzles?

Craig (1:33)

I love puzzles.

George (1:34)

Really?

Craig (1:34)

Yeah, I do a lot now with my daughter.

Gordon (1:37)

Well, those don't.

George (1:38)

Those are the only ones I can do. The one that has the dog with the little label on it that you can put the foot on. Yeah, I can do those.

Craig (1:44)

She has like 100 piece, 200 piece puzzles that we do.

Summary

The Musers The Podcast

Episode 24: How to Eat a Mountain
Original Air Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: George Dunham, Craig "Junior" Miller, Gordon Keith

Episode Overview

This episode, sandwiched between the Musers’ Thanksgiving and upcoming Christmas specials, dives into the theme of “the hardest things we've ever done.” Through a blend of humor, heartfelt honesty, and the group’s signature camaraderie, Craig, George, and Gordon share stories of personal challenges—ranging from grueling physical achievements to emotional trials and everyday struggles. The episode is a testament to resilience, the value of incremental progress, and the universal experience of reaching for something you’re not sure you can accomplish.

Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Listener Mailbag & Global Fanbase

[03:16] Listener Letter from Brazil:
- Felipe, a longtime listener, writes in from Brazil, recounting his journey as a fan, moving back home to care for family, and finally ticking off "write the Musers" from his own bucket list.
- Felipe’s Suggestion: The Musers should take their podcast on the road to Brazil, prompting the group to joke about their travel budget (“Let’s try to make it to Bedford first. Go to Brazil. Yeah, Bedford’s first; Bedford, then Brazil. Alphabetical order.” – Gordon at [04:51]).

2. Hardest Things We've Ever Done: Physical Feats

Craig’s Endurance Stories

Bucket List Adventures & Cycling ([05:06]):
- Craig recounts his lifelong passion for cycling, checking off world-famous climbs in the Alps, Pyrenees, Italy, and Belgium.
Qualifying for the Boston Marathon ([06:03] to [10:32]):
- Describes the obsessive and difficult journey of qualifying, failing multiple times on different courses, and finally making it at the New York City Marathon:
  - “With about three or four miles to go, I’m looking at my watch and I’m not fading and I’m thinking, wow, I think I’m actually going to do this… My legs were killing me, they had turned to concrete. I kept looking at the watch and I was still on pace, still on pace. And I made it by 20 seconds.” – Craig ([10:03])
  - On the physical impact: “…I could not walk for the next three days. It was so difficult.” – Craig ([10:30])
Ironman Triathlon: The Ultimate Challenge ([13:37] to [27:10]):
- Shares his experience training for and completing the Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, confronting swimming (his weakest area), punishing weather, and moments of near-quitting:
  - “It was that $20 T-shirt that kept me going. So I did mile three and I did mile four… at some point you’re so far out where you gotta keep going.” – Craig ([22:43])
  - “I’ve been moving nonstop from sun up to sundown.” – Craig ([24:42])
  - Afterward: “I remember being so happy that I had finished, but I was just, I was a mess. You know, my legs were a mess, my mind was a mess. I had been through hell and back.” – Craig ([25:33])
  - Bonus memorable moment: Craig ends up sitting across from the “most beautiful blonde… from Sweden” after the race, only to have her boyfriend join their table ([26:04]).

George’s Toughest Work Experience & Family Loss

Physical Labor on a Burned-Out Basement ([29:31] onward):
- George describes an unforgettable summer spent hauling burnt roofing insulation out of a gymnasium in blistering Texas heat:
  - “It was like I was sentenced to hard labor for five days. But it was good for me. It really was. It was eye-opening.” – George ([33:57])
  - Insights about hard labor granting appreciation for physical workers and instilling a sense of accomplishment.
Loss of Siblings and Emotional Hardship ([34:50] to [40:43]):
- Opens up on losing his sister and brother within two years, both on family birthdays—a sequence he finds both painful and strangely poignant:
  - “It’s just hard, you know, losing your parents… But losing a sibling… it’s losing a piece of your soul.” – George ([36:18])
  - “It’s not something you get over, it’s just something you get through.” – George, quoting Willie Nelson ([36:44])
  - On grief: “You’re overwhelmed with a sadness that you’ve never felt before… it took a long time just for waking up and just not feeling the sadness. And I felt that with both of them. And it’s getting better.” – George ([39:13])
  - The role of music and songwriting in processing grief.

Gordon’s Construction Projects and Performing Fears

Renovating Houses ([41:53] to [45:37]):
- Gordon reflects on self-driven labor renovating homes, facing literal “mountains” of work with no help and the spiritual benefits of pushing through:
  - “When you’re in it every day, it doesn’t look that much smaller until you remember back to the first day when your eyes took it in.” – Gordon ([43:01])
  - “The lesson is always the same… you can only eat it one bite at a time.” – Gordon ([44:04])
Facing Fear: Stage Fright & Loneliness ([49:40] to [58:15]):
- Shares the emotional challenge of TV work—having to perform live, alone, with high stakes, and how daunting that can feel:
  - “Those seconds [backstage] were the loneliest seconds of my life.” – Gordon ([51:09])
  - “We always think that if something looks easy to someone else, then it must be easy. And if other people are able to do this, it must be real easy for them… and that’s not the case.” – Gordon ([52:34])
- Cites a memorable interview with Zach Galifianakis that he had to conduct right after finding out his aunt died, pushing through grief to still create something special ([54:03] onward).

Themes & Insights

Overcoming the Impossible – Physical and Emotional

The group highlights how many of life's greatest accomplishments or sources of pride are tightly bound to hardship, pain, or a sense of impossibility—whether that's pushing physical limits, enduring loss, or tackling the “mountains” of life.

Incremental Progress & The “One Bite at a Time” Principle

Through both literal (Ironman, roofing) and metaphoric (grief, television) mountains, the Musers stress the value of focusing on the next step rather than the overwhelming whole:
- “How do you eat a mountain? One bite at a time.” – Gordon ([44:04])
- “Your slowest run is faster than your fastest walk. So just keep running like a grandma if you have to.” – Craig, via advice from his friend Grant ([22:52])

The Universality of Anxiety and Self-Doubt

The trio normalizes feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and fear, even (or especially) among people who outwardly “have it together.”
The myth that life's hardest things are easy for others is debunked:
- “It’s not the case that everyone just always seems to be doing so well and has it figured out… our internal lives actually are very transportable into other people, if you really think about it.” – Gordon ([52:43])

Humor Amid Hardship

Even as serious topics are broached, the episode is punctuated with classic Musers banter, self-deprecation, and bits about old cars, lunch dates, electrocution, and faux-macho anxieties (“I could barely pump gas into my car.” – Craig, [47:36]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On bike marathons:
“If a marathon were 20 miles, everybody would do it and could do it pretty easily. There’s something about the final six… those final six are unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It’s just absolute hell.” – Craig ([11:13])
On emotional loss:
“You’re overwhelmed with a sadness that you’ve never felt before. And… it took a long time just for waking up and just not feeling the sadness. And I felt that with both of them. And it’s getting better.” – George ([39:13])
On biting off more than you can chew:
“Everything that I’ve done that has been worth anything has been because it was something that I couldn’t do. And I just somehow found a way to meet the challenge… If you sit around in life waiting for being qualified, then you’re not going to have a life.” – Gordon ([57:27])
On asking out Grace:
“I was shaking. I’m so scared to death. And I just did it... would you like to go out and have dinner with me sometime? … She stopped and she looked at me and she said, ‘You do know I have a boyfriend.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. Do you still want to go out?’” – Craig ([63:00])
On incremental effort:
“You gotta go small. What’s the old analogy? How do you eat a mountain? One bite at a time.” – Gordon ([44:04])

Inspirational Takeaways

The “hardest” things in life can be physical, emotional, relational, or simply everyday battles with self-doubt or inertia.
Progress comes incrementally—whether clearing a burned-out gym, running a marathon, or dealing with loss.
If you’re facing something you think you “can’t” do, don’t wait to feel ready. Take the next real step, even if you fail or fumble.
Humor, friendship, and compassionate honesty are powerful tools for climbing life’s mountains.

Segment Timestamps

Listener Mail & Brazil Letter – [03:16]
Physical Hardships & Bucket List – [05:06] to [27:10]
- Craig’s marathon: [06:03] to [10:32]
- Ironman journey: [13:37] to [27:10]
George’s Hardest Work/Family Loss – [29:31] to [40:43]
Gordon’s Construction Stories – [41:53] to [45:37]
Stage Fright/Performance & Emotional Hardship – [49:40] to [58:15]
First Time Asking Out a Girl – [59:07] to [65:35]
Closing Reflections (Incremental Progress) – [65:42] to end

Whether you’re eating a mountain or just facing down one more mile, The Musers remind us: you only have to take the next bite.