Ain't No Mountain High Enough

A few weeks ago, we took our youth to hike Picacho Peak.  To put it simply, it's not the easiest hike.  You climb 1500 feet in roughly 2 miles.  It is a much anticipated activity for our youth...and let's be honest...for me too.  Although, at 33.5 weeks along, I wasn't quite sure how I would fare.  Especially since keeping up with the likes of these 12-18 year old YM and YW isn't a walk in the park.  I'm happy to say that we only had 1 individual who didn't make it to the top...and no, it wasn't me.  I was perfectly content with staying in the saddle with whomever chose not to go on, but the group of youth that I was with was determined to keep going...so, what was a leader to do?  In all honesty, I didn't want to stop either.  The view from atop is amazing and it held a lot of significance for me since 2 days shy of 7 years earlier, I hiked the beastly peak for my first time with my soon to be fiance.  Brian ended up proposing the very next weekend (Feb. 21st), at the state park.  So, needless to say, the peak has a lot of significance for our family.  And when I think about it, that peak is a perfect metaphor for marriage.  Sometimes it's really tough--even scary--and it takes a lot of work, but the satisfaction of reaching the top and enjoying the view with loved ones is worth all the sacrifice.  And as always, there is so much to be learned--and gained--along the way.  So much joy in the journey to be had if your mindset is in the right place. 

And here I am at the top in all my pregnant glory.  You should have seen the double takes I got while climbing that mountain.  Some people didn't even bother trying to be discreet about it either, which had me laughing a time or two along the trail.  I honestly expected to be sore the next day, but I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't sore at all.  However, over the course of the next few days I developed a cold, my allergies flared up and I suffered a few days from a raging backache.  (All from over-doing it, I suppose.)  It just gave me reason to be all the more thankful for a healthy, able body and a relatively smooth sailing pregnancy thus far.  

At the top, I shared a brief spiritual thought with the youth.  It was mostly just thoughts that occurred to me while I was hiking that morning.  One of the reasons I love to hike is because there are so many parallels between life, the gospel and hiking.  I reminded the youth that although the view at the saddle was nice, it didn't compare to the view at the top.  I added the charge to keep going, keep progressing and don't stop when it gets tough, because the reward in the end is unimaginable.  I reminded them that they can do hard things...that gaining self-confidence in our physical selves can lead to added self-confidence in our spiritual selves.  At several parts along the trail, there are cables to hold on to in order to secure a safe passage on some very steep and rocky terrain.  I reminded them to be grateful for and to look towards those that have gone before and paved the path for us--our ancestors, our parents, leaders and most of all, our Savior.  The path has already been laid...we just have to hold on and follow in their footsteps.  We may think we can walk without holding on to that cable for a while, and we may be able to for some time without any problems, but eventually, we'll fall.  I urged them to not let go of those principles and things which keep our feet steady on the path.  I don't know if they ended up getting much out of it, but I didn't want to forget the things I learned that day while climbing the mountain (hence the reason you're reading them now) because they were great reminders for me.  It really is all about the little things...so simple and yet so often set aside.  Those little things make all the difference!