Two weekends ago we went on our first major hike since we have been here. And as usual, every time I hike I get very introspective. My mind starts to think about each step and how the hike I’m on parallels my life. The last hike I did this on was to Finch Lake in Colorado. 5 miles in and 5 miles back. It was probably the hardest hike I’ve ever been on. This hike to St. Mary Peak would probably be ranked number 2.  A very closer number 2.

The hike was 3.5 miles uphill. And then another 3.5 miles back downhill. And when I say hill I mean mountain. When I first start out I have a lot of energy and hope that this is going to be a piece of cake and will breeze right through.  Then about 1/2 mile into it I start to get tired. I stop a lot along the way to catch my breath. I get to a point where I don’t think I continue and that’s when the zen of the hike sets in. I start to correlate the hike to life. If I can go through cancer, I can hike up this mountain. If I quit it will have beat me. What if I had done that when I was going through treatment? Then I begin to realize that the journey of the hike is very similar to life’s journey. You get to a point where you are just exhausted; physically and mentally you are done. You start to make deals with yourself if you get to the end. The worst part of the journey is when you can see the end in sight, but it still seems so far away. You are out of breath, your legs hurt and you just sit there on ponder if it’s worth it. Then you realize that you have come this far and you have no choice but to continue and complete this journey.  When you finally make it to the top, your legs are shaking, your chest hurts but you have a renewed sense of accomplishment. You rest and take it easy for a bit. You enjoy the view. You soak up the success of your accomplishment. But it is short lived and now you must move on and continue to complete the journey. You must go downhill.

Down is much easier than up, right? I mean it will go quicker. Well, down has its own set of challenges. It may be easier in some ways, but you are still exhausted and worn down from the up journey. You have to pace yourself and try not to get too ambitious. You have a tendency to want to get it over with as fast as you can. But if you go too fast you risk tripping over rocks or stumps and possibly falling and really hurting yourself.  There are times when you still need to stop to get your bearings. So you constantly remind yourself to pace yourself and take it easy.

When you finally come to the end, your legs are burning, you are beyond exhausted and are unable to move for days afterward. You are beyond relieved that the hike is over. You have a sense of accomplishment but look back at each section that was troublesome for you and how you got through it.  You rest and plan your next adventure.

Now that we got the first hike of the season out of the way, I think from here on out I’m going to stick to shorter, less elevated hills. Let’s hope I can mimic that in life as well.