The Wellsvilles can be seen from anywhere in Cache Valley and I am often in awe of their beauty. Several years ago I had the opportunity to hike the Wellsvilles. I knew it would be an all day event but I didn’t know how hard a 15 mile (roundtrip) hike would be…
We started at a moderate pace, admiring the flowers, trees and playing games within our group to keep ourselves entertained. Somewhere past the halfway point, I tripped over a tree root and cut my knees and hands pretty badly. I was in a lot of pain but didn’t want to be left behind waiting for hours for my group to pick me up on the way back down. I decided to keep going.
After we’d been hiking for hours, we were in a thick area of vegetation. The air was cold and damp and the wind pierced through all layers of my clothing. My legs were sore and covered in blood from my previous fall. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going. I didn’t want to be there anymore.
I stopped on the trail and tried to see how far I’d hiked. I couldn’t see anything. I tried to look up the mountain and see how much more I had to go. Again, I couldn’t see anything. I completely felt despair settle in with no sense of perspective for where I was. I really wanted to give up. My friend’s dad encouraged me to keep going. He said that if I stopped, it would just make it harder to make the climb.
I picked myself up and kept going.
After what seemed like an eternity (but in reality was less than an hour) we made it through the thick vegetation and the warmth of the sun could be felt again. I could see that we didn’t have much higher to climb.
I developed an appreciation for how far I’d come.
The view was spectacular! I could see the entire valley. I could see for miles and miles. My parent’s home was a small speck out in the distance. For me, no other location in Cache Valley compares. I felt like such a small speck in a big universe, but I had an appreciation for the universe I was a part of.
Often in life, I face a similar battle. I lose perspective of how far I’ve traveled. The moment I’m in seems too hard to get through. I lose perspective of where I’m going. I often have to remind myself…
Don’t stop. Push a little harder. Getting through this will be worth it.
Thanks to my sweet friend, 
