Life Reminders After 8 Days In the Mountains

Jackie and I just returned from some much needed rest and hiking in the Rockies. We were away only a little over a week but we found ourselves seeing once again how many things about life the high places teach us. Here are a view worth re-visiting.

First, you'll miss a lot if you succumb to only taking the easy option. Our hikes weren't nearly as extensive or challenging as some might do, but there were a couple of days when we wondered if we should push ourselves too hard. "Why go to THAT lake up another couple of miles when we could stay right here and enjoy this scenery?"

But each time we went beyond our preconceived limits we realized what we would have missed staying put. Mountain views, animal life and sunsets were just a few of the rewards. What a mistake it would have been to just remain comfortable.

Second, life is a lot about relationships with people. Along the trail we met a wide variety of individuals and families. Sometimes we took each other's pictures, other times we talked a little bit about where we were from. A group even found an extra lens that Jackie accidentally dropped from her good camera. We would never have found it without them.

Another young girl asked to borrow our sunscreen. We told each other about mountain goat sightings. While we relished the peace and quiet that we often had, we also loved the meaningful, authentic and spontaneous interaction with fellow climbers.

Third, there is more to life and creation than what we see everyday. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to be reminded of the greatness and majesty of the world all around us. The beauty of a flower, the power of a 50 mph wind and the size of a 14000' peak all spoke volumes to us about a greatness beyond ourselves and a Creator who made and controls it all.

Finally, the beaten path is rarely the most memorable one.  Rarely did we or others rave about what they saw in a local restaurant, on TV in the condo or their drive from out of state. The greatest stories were told about situations and places people had never been before or which had at least pushed them beyond their normal limits.

While you may be going up a trail that is challenging and beyond your usual scope of life, embrace it as a different climb, one with the potential to teach you lessons like the ones we learned this week.

Climb on.