The mountains are calling...and I must go.

Colorado is known for many things. 

The Denver Broncos have celebrated a Super Bowl championship not once but three times. Just six blocks from where I live downtown stands a lovely Victorian home on Pennsylvania Avenue that was once owned by the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown and where millions of tourists visit every year. (Thank heavens they took this story and made it a musical that my family quotes all.the.time.)  Colorado is also home to the United States Air Force Academy. 

 

But even more than football and fighter jets, it is known for its Rocky Mountains. From its stunning peaks that touch the sky at 14,000 feet to the waterfalls at Rocky Mountain National Park to the Aspen trees that line Independence Pass in the fall. All set to the tune to John Denver and all are a sight to behold. Through the past year, I have spent a lot of time in the mountains and I am always in awe at the beauty I take in but also at the lessons learned while on the mountain trail. 

A few weeks ago, I hiked St. Mary’s Glacier with some fellow nature junkies. When we were climbing up the Glacier, we tried hard not to get in the way of the end-of-summer snowboarders. :)

Once we got to the top, we hit some flat land where we could enjoy the view, have a sandwich and gear up for our next climb- James Peak. Summit elevation 13,301 feet. My lungs had a hard time with the elevation and I found myself not moving as fast as the group and I began to wonder if I should just stop and take in a view or keep going to reach the top. I could see the peak just around the bend and pushed myself to the next corner and thought, "Ah, it’s just right up there; I got this." Nope. The mountain teased me only to bring into my view another peak to conquer. Some may call it a false summit. I call it "fake news."  I could see a line of ants on a trail waaaaay ahead of me only to see that I was STILL nowhere near the summit.

My muscles ached. I was tired. I had a hard time breathing. The trail was extremely steep and rocky.  I was seconds away of throwing my bag on the ground and saying, “I’ll catch ya’ll on the flip side.” I was done. I didn’t care to move one more inch forward. But…would I let the mountain defeat me? 

To make a long story short,  I didn’t quit. I caught my breath for the 200^th time and continued to put one foot in front of the other. I had a friend who was hiking behind me and told me (in some colorful language) to get up off the rock and keep going. Albeit slow, I kept moving and was NOT going to stop until I had summited that darn mountain. And so I did. The panoramic view I saw once I reached the top was worth it 110%.

 Oh, nature. I respect you and fear you and I need you for my soul to stay alive. You are a beautiful beast and you can challenge me to my very core. You gave me sore muscles, blisters, but also some much needed perspective.

And it is this: 

In life, the trail we traverse can flat out, no questions asked, KICK YOUR BUTT! There will undoubtedly be times when quitting seems like a very tantalizing option. Our muscles will ache and we will be moving along at a snails pace wondering if what we’re doing is worth it. Staying where we are is the easy way but progression will cease. We will never know what views lie ahead if we stop moving. We will simply miss out. We never were promised an easy trail. It will usually be rocky and often times inconvenient. Well, guess what buddy? The human spirit and body are stronger than we think they are. I say keep climbing. Keep reaching. Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’ve reached the top, taken a sip from your water bottle, looked around in absolute reverence and said, “Man, would you look at that. It’s more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined!” 

As John Muir once said, I also say, "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings." 

 The End.