Worth It

Snap. Snap. Fastening my Camelbak in place, I was excited. The day was perfect. A long hike with an old friend...priceless. I look across the Columbia River as we start out at the trailhead and am eager to see where the path leads us.

I feel really good. The crisp air is refreshing to my lungs. My hiking shoes are comfy. Glad I wore a tank top and running shorts...the warmth is nice as I start to break a sweat. I hook my thumbs into the shoulder straps of my pack as the trail gains a little more incline. I'm in the mood for some sweat. My legs feel strong and I am inspired by the beauty of the forest that surrounds me. We mention the calming and peaceful sound of the wind rustling through the trees. Music to my ears. It's so quiet. Besides the occasional conversation, all I can hear is the breeze and the crunch of the path under my feet. One step then another...moving up this mountain.

Then a new sound. The sound of my breath getting harder and harder. I can actually hear my heartbeat in my ears. The sweat is dripping from my brow. This is hard. I look for the path to become more forgiving as each switchback ends...no luck.

We get to a sign that points ahead and says "Difficult route." Another sign points to the right and says, "Easy route". Without discussion, I knew which route we were taking. She knows me...I know her. So, my steps headed beyond the "Difficult route" sign and we continued.

I'll admit that I allowed some profanity cross my lips as we climbed on. I'm not proud of that, but I meant EVERY WORD. The trail continued it's unforgiving ascent...taunting me to quit, it seemed. I battled back by trying to stay in the moment. Enjoying the gorgeous landscape around me. Reminding myself to be thankful for what my body is able to do. I could feel the muscles in my quads, hamstrings and calves tense as they were being overworked. It felt great. I didn't let the breathlessness, the tightening muscles, or the sore feet deter me. I took frequent breaks...I took my time. I reminded myself that the summit would be there no matter how long it took me.

Dang, I was thirsty. Why did I think it would be a great idea to freeze the water in my camelback? So weird to be carrying water and not being able to drink it because it was frozen. Frustrating...

The trail was getting harder to climb. The encouragement I needed came in the form of people much older than me coming down the trail. Really??? I couldn't believe they were out here. Am I that out of shape or maybe that's just how Oregonian senior citizens roll! They've had a lifetime of this sort of thing...and they probably took the easy route up. That seemed to make me feel better about myself.

Eventually, we made our way through the thick forest and came into a clearing. The trail was narrow and hugged the side of this mountain. Here is where we got our first glimpse of our reward. As I worked my way up the switchbacks, I'd stop frequently to take in the view. Ok, I stopped to BREATHE, but the view was nice, too!

It had almost been two hours and I was starting to think this hike was a bad idea. My legs were toast and I was spent. My first mistake of the day was eating a bowl of cheerios before the hardest hike of my life. Dumb. What was I going to do? I had to forge ahead. I sure as hell wasn't going to turn back now. NO WAY! But, could I make it to the top? Then, I started to think, "Oh God...I gotta come down, too." Just as the panic started to set in, I remembered how I deal with things now. My new attitude of ONE STEP AT A TIME. So, here it is. My opportunity to apply what I thought I believed.

LIVE IN THE MOMENT. ONE STEP AT A TIME. BE GRATEFUL. JUST DO IT.

All phrases that are a part of my mantra. I started to say them in my head and thought about the sense of accomplishment that was waiting for me at the summit.

An older gentleman passes us as he made is way down and said, "Just another three-quarters of a mile and you're there!" I smiled a great big grin and politely said, "Thank you!" Inside, I was thinking, "this trail better level out soon or I'm gonna..." Gonna what?! I had no idea. I was just getting mad. It was me and that trail. It wanted me to quit. Each step became a purposeful renouncement of what that trail was trying to do. I'M GOING TO THE TOP!

There it was. The summit. Not at all what I imagined. It was a small clearing where the triumphant hikers gathered to take in the indescribable view. The Columbia River easily, but powerfully snaked it's way through the gorge. It was cloudy, but the view wasn't at all tarnished by it. The chill in the air reminded me that we had climbed high enough for the weather to actually change. THREE THOUSAND FEET IN THREE MILES. Wow. The sense of accomplishment was wonderful. We reached the summit in just over 2 hours. We took our place on a small log and ate our lunch, looking out over the gorgeous landscape. Perfect.

The journey down was very different, as you can imagine. I talked a lot more, I noticed more along the trail. I didn't have to struggle to breathe, so I laughed a lot, too! The trail was no longer my mortal enemy. It became a new friend. I let the trail take me to the secret places of the mountain, grateful for it's very existence. I quietly thanked the many people who put in the arduous work of making this path for us all to enjoy today.

I fought my way up and frolicked my way down! In reality, it was simply a hike with a wonderful friend. But the teachable moments made this a journey of discovery. A discovery of who I've become. And I like what I see! There was a time in my life when I wouldn't have even made the trip in the car to the trailhead, if someone mentioned that this was a difficult hike! I'm enjoying this "CAN DO" attitude. When we take on something that is difficult, I am learning that the journey is different for everyone. What each of us takes away from the experience can be very different. The important thing is, to go. GO ON THE JOURNEY. It may be the hardest thing you've ever done, or you might surprise yourself and find that you've come a long ways and greater challenges still lie ahead.

Every step of this journey was WORTH IT.