I visited my friends who have a house in Old Forge, New York. There is a moderately tough climb on Bald Mountain to the fire station where lookouts watched for fires in a tall steel structure back in the day. My buddy, Jim, has walked it numerous times and had no problems while my older brother, my brother-in-law and I struggled a bit. It’s only about a two mile hike there and back, but it was steeper than most walks in the area and fresh rains made rock faces slippery.
There were a few small rock faces that we had to get around, and sometimes we had no choice but to dig in, get a good foothold and take on the rock because it was easier in the end. Most times we were able to use the roots of trees as footholds to get to a higher point.
We joked to Jim how arduous it was, as we huffed and puffed and he encouraged us saying “It’s right around the bend here.” I was determined to make it, as I saw others coming back from venturing there. We saw kids and a few other people around my age do it, so I thought “I got this.”
At one point as we reached the last few hundred yards to reach the station, my brother had had enough. He decided to sit and wait for us and take in nature for a bit while we trodded on the path. I’m not going to lie, I was half tempted to wait with him and so was my brother-in-law, but curiosity won out.
We watched our feet rather than the views, to ensure that we would not fall, but had a few moments where we could look out and see where Third and Fourth lake connected. The mountain air invigorated us. On our first day there we shared stories about hiking in the wild and how dangerous it could be.
When you are walking a place where you’ve never been, your sense of perception plays with you. Jim told us the story of how he went hiking as a youth. It was a tough hike and though they had experienced hikers with them, they lost track of where they needed to be and had to figure things out. He said the hike was made tougher by the fact that it rained and the map they had of the area was stolen by a bear who made off with a bag of food that also held the map. The little bugger was a genius at figuring out wench systems used to hide food in treetops in those days.
Fifteen hours later, the hikers made it back. When they arrived at their final destination back at base camp and explored the camp around them for days, they realized they were only two hundred feet from making it back to base camp. Instead of going all the way, they decided to take the way back they knew. Although this was smart hiking, they didn’t realize that they weren’t that far away.
I learned this lesson when I was on the road. Never venture off the path and when in doubt, go back the way you came to ensure you don’t go deeper into the woods and walk farther into troubled lands.
I recently had an experience where my friends told me how far of a walk I had, but as I looked out across to the other side of a field, it looked a great deal farther than I thought. The first time I walked this trail, I almost made it. I didn’t realize I was only about two hundred yards from home and decided to turn around and walk back the way I came. The next time I was determined to make it the whole way and realized that I too was only two hundred yards from my starting point and would’ve easily made it had I persisted.
Some lessons in life scream at us. They won’t let up until we listen.
The trip back on our hike in Old Forge was much easier, as we knew where we had been and we still had the energy. We enjoyed the sites and it seemed as though the journey back was shorter and more enjoyeable.
Anything you pursue that means something to you should have that component of tenacity and finishing the job. It’s a kind of “no one can frighten me off” attitude. You may not get there on the first try, but if you are mindful of the journey and get to know an area, you can make it all the way around.
The journey is yours. You can have people help you sometimes, but either you make it to the top or don’t on your own. Having walked unknown territory, the journey back can be much easier. Lastly, sometimes we push through in faith, knowing there is something worth the view right beyond us. You may think you’re far away from the starting point, but you may come full circle if you go just a little bit further.
Remember, the journey is the goal. You don’t always have to get there when you think you need to be there. You can enjoy the site sitting there before you. There’s always a nice view awaiting you.
spirit beat 