Conqueror

It was late July and my summer adventure would soon be coming to an end. I had been living, working and exploring the great outdoors in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Having a whole free day to myself I decided that there was a hike that needed to be conquered. I had attempted this canyon three years previously when some friends took me there. I remember thinking how steep and hard core that climb was. I took several breaks to rest and gather strength. I remember running out of water and wondering if I could make it much further without any (luckily a friend had some to spare me).

With memories of my last endeavor running through my mind, I headed up the mountain. The scenery was beautiful and wildlife was abundant. Before I knew it, I was on the switchbacks and I began to climb. Not so bad, I thought and I continued upward. As I arrived at Surprise Lake, my destination, I questioned Am I already here?" I remembered it being so much harder last time. This time I think I stopped only one time the whole way up for about five seconds to get a swig of water. I enjoyed the scenery, of the lake, hiked up to the next lake and then back down. At the bottom, I looked at my clock and was amazed, it was only mid-afternoon, I still had half a day to explore! Last time I had hiked this canyon it had been a whole day event and that's what I had expected this trip would be! I was amazed at how much more active I had become. How had it happened?

I think sometimes we don't realize how strong we've become or how much we've progressed. I had spent the summer hiking or biking almost daily because Jackson had so much beauty to be enjoyed. My daily activities, little by little, made me that much more in shape. I was lucky that day to be able to compare my old hiking self to the hiker I had become.

With some aspects of life it's hard to look back and see how much we've grown because certain types of progress are hard to measure. How do I know if I'm becoming more charitable, patient, courageous, or outgoing? It happens just like a good hike- one step at a time; just like I became more fit one hike or bike ride at a time. People in my high school, and even into college, knew me as a shy, quiet person. Sometimes I still have those shy tendencies where I don't really feel like going out of my way to talk to others, or I'm scared to talk to someone I don't know very well. But every time I do, I'm taking another step up my mountain; making one of my weaknesses a strength. In my experience, a good trail is one that will lead you to an amazing view that makes the whole trip worth while. When you can look down and see how far you've come you feel a great sense of accomplishment. It also gives you a better view and understanding of the layout of the land. However, the trail to the top will lead you to places, covered with trees or behind the mountain where you can't see how far you've come or how much progress you've made. But you don't give up, you keep climbing, you trust that the end will be worth it. That's life, we press on and trust that we really are becoming better. It may not be till after this life that we discover how truly worth it our journey is.