Go Where You Want to Be
Just start. Keep climbing. Hang in there.
We’ve been doing a lot of hiking recently. My oldest son is working on his hiking merit badge, and as a consequence, we’ve kind of caught the bug. It’s also got me thinking.
About five years ago we went to Celebration Park, in Canyon County, Idaho, intending to hike some trails that we’d seen there previously. We parked the car, crossed the Snake River on the old railroad bridge (renovated and now open only to non-motorized traffic), and tried to decide which of the many trails to take.
One in particular caught our eye. The path led along a ridge to our left and up to a plateau a few hundred feet above us. Our youngest at the time was just a couple years old, so we didn’t want anything too difficult, and this seemed like just the thing.
We set out. It wasn’t bad at first, and we moved quickly up the first hill and toward the ridge. But we soon discovered that most of the path was sandy, which meant for every two steps we took up the hill, we spent another step sliding down. It was much harder than we had expected. On top of that, just before we reached the top, there was a ten-foot section of fallen rock that had to be scrambled over — not too difficult for me or my wife, but trying to get our kids up it safely was something of a challenge.
But the view! Once we were on the plateau, gazing down the way we’d come, we could see the Snake River winding placidly below us, with the rocky boulders of Celebration Park stretching away toward the far side of the valley. My kids excitedly pointed out our car, tiny with distance, and we traced the road with our fingers, pointing out the way we’d arrived.
It was so worth it. But if we had known before setting out how difficult the hike would be with young kids, we probably would have steered clear of it, and we would have missed the enormous satisfaction of having conquered it despite the challenge. Our kids would not have that shared memory of struggling up the sandy path, or standing at the top and looking out over the river valley.
Sometimes, it pays to just do it. Take the first step. Don’t overthink. Don’t talk yourself down. Identify where you want to be, and then do what it takes to get there. Yeah, it may be a lot harder than you expect at times, but I’ll wager you’re tougher than you realize. Hang in there. Keep climbing.
The view alone is worth it.
It’s surprising to me how hiking has got me thinking. It has parallels in so many things. If you can relate, please click the “heart” icon, below! Are there any life lessons you’ve learned from hiking? Any particularly powerful memories that have stuck with you? Please share them in the comments!
