Learning to Progress: A Hiking Analogy

I have never been an outdoorsy person.  I don’t like our Colorado snow, but the extreme heat isn’t my thing either. I prefer activities such as reading, watching movies, playing games, and enjoying a constant indoor temperature. This was great for the first couple of months of a nationwide quarantine.

But lo and behold, if the pandemic didn’t change what made me, me. Even I couldn’t wait to go outside and be a little active! So, I decided to join my hiking-loving family and friends and try tackling a trail in our mountains. I was always a bit envious of their clifftop selfies. Let me explain that I am not in very good shape, don’t have the proper equipment, and have no clue what to expect.

I literally tiptoed into the adventure by choosing a short, easy trail to start with. I went with friends who respected my limitations, so we made it slow and short. I was constantly thinking about how far we went, knowing I would have to be able to have the energy for a return trip. I was a bit surprised to discover that I enjoyed it! I saw my first aspen grove. I discovered that skunk cabbage exists. I noticed how tall evergreens blow in the breeze. I heard bird calls that were new to me. And the views.  The views! Seeing them on TV didn’t compare.  They were breathtaking.

I decided to up my game a bit and try a more difficult trail with my family. Of course, my almost grown children went way ahead of me, but my husband lagged in the back alongside me. I still didn’t go far but the path was more challenging with rocky steps to maneuver.  We ended up along a beautiful river’s edge where I rested on a rock and listened to the water. On shaky legs, I made it back to the car, completely impressing my family.

This is why, on a vacation alone with my husband, I decided to brave another trail with him.  What else was there to do outside that kept us away from people and germs? We found a trail online that was labeled as Easy and ended at a breathtaking mountain lake. Reviews warned us the trail was a bit uphill at first but leveled out.  

We drove on one-way gravel roads far into and upon a mountain. We parked and spotted the trail. Sure enough, it was uphill.  And several minutes later, it was still very much uphill.  And a long time after that, we were still going uphill.  My legs were burning, and I was out of breath. Even my hiking-loving husband couldn’t believe how steep and far we were having to climb.

I stopped some men who were on their way down and asked them how much further we had to go before this uphill part leveled out.  They confidently told us that it wasn’t much further, so I took a deep breath and continued. After climbing more and more, the frustrated tears began.

“How could this trail possibly be called ‘easy’,” I cried. “I am never believing one of those dumb reviews again.  Easy?!  And ‘it’s only uphill at first’? Yeah, right.”

My husband offered for us to turn around and go back down, but I’m not a quitter.  I had worked this hard, so I wanted the payoff.  I wanted to see the darn lake.

A family with two boys were coming down the trail.  Again, I asked them how much further we had to go, not to the lake, but just uphill! The father and boys all began talking about it leveling out, crossing creeks, being less rocky, and getting easier.  

The mother, bless her heart, blurted, “Don’t believe a word they say!  This is ridiculous! It’s uphill and rocky the whole way. It’s nearly impossible to cross those logs over the creek. I can’t believe I’m doing this!”

I smiled at her and said, “You and I would make great hiking buddies.”

Nevertheless, I continued up the trail. No longer believing the trail was going to get easier, I lowered my expectations. I finally knew it was going to be an uphill battle the whole way.

I had to stop and rest many times.  I literally had to crawl with my hands and feet to cross the logs.  While my husband enjoyed the beauty around us, I carefully watched every rock and twig on the trail, so I knew where to step next. It was hard, exhausting work.

I finally had enough.  There was no end in sight.  I no longer believed this trail even led to a darn lake. I was dirty (I am never dirty.  I don’t do things that get me dirty). I was shaking from exhaustion.  And I was hopeless. So, I stopped.

My husband went up ahead a bit and shortly later, I heard him whistle.  I peered over some trees and saw him waving and then pointing.  He was pointing to the lake!  It did exist! Between me and that lake was one more creek and log to cross. Hope regained, I bent over and slowly shuffled across that log. Thank goodness nobody was around to watch because I’m sure my method was not pretty.

After a few more steps on the trail, a mesmerizing, green lake appeared. It was still and quiet. Birds were singing, bees were buzzing on wildflowers, and majestic mountains were all around.

I did it.  I made it.  

It was worth it. I sat down to enjoy the view and the moment. I ate a chocolate cupcake from my backpack that never tasted more deserved. I rested and took photos of this monumental moment.

Feeling refreshed and satisfied, we began heading back down the trail.  Down, down, rock-sliding, down.  This is when I learned that going down is more difficult than climbing up! I guess I expected this experience to compare with biking as a kid.  Hard to pedal going up, but how fun it was to zoom back down!  Yeah, nope.  Not with hiking. My legs were instantly shaking from trying to keep my footing while the dirt and rocks slid underneath. Again, I had to rest often. It took all my strength and the little endurance I had left to hike back down that mountain.

Finally, I could see the reflection of sun on car windshields. My wobbly legs were almost there.  And, again, I did it.  I made it.

This experience was very comparable to trials in life. They can seem like uphill battles with no relief in sight.  The path seems to be unbearably long. To other people, the trail might seem easy. You might meet others who cheer you on despite knowing how difficult the future is going to be.  If you’re lucky, you will meet someone who blurts out honestly what hell you have up ahead. There will probably be tears along the way. But if you don’t quit, you will get to the glorious view.  You will reach what you were climbing for and it will all be worth it. Enjoy the moment for as long as it lasts.  And if you think the hard times are over, just wait. The next trial may seem downhill but might be more difficult than you expected.  However, you will get through that one, too. And after a shower and a hamburger, you’ll be deliriously confident enough to want to do it all again.

Originally written by Janelle Sims. Used with permission.