The Meaning of Life?

Trail Log 9/21/2014 - Seeking something... Something that has been missing from my life for a while, we went to the mountains. I wasn't sure what it was I needed to find. But I knew it was there. We climbed the highest peek we could find. There, we made camp for the night. The next morning we descended the other side, down to the bottom a green, lush valley, then up to the ridgeline on the other side.

It has been said that it's not the destination that's important, it's the journey. And it's been said that one should not look back, just keep moving forward.

I was contemplating these aspects of life as we ascended from the valley floor. Scaling a mountain is an awesome feeling. Camping out on top overnight is amazing. I kept thinking about yesterday's hike as we climbed... what we had done, what was ahead. Beth stopped ahead of me. "Look!" She said, turning and pointing across the valley. Through the dense forest there was a break in the trees. Through the Autum colored leaves, we could see Bluff Mountain, from almost the bottom to the very top peak where we had camped. By this time, I think we were about seven miles down the trail.

It was so far across the valley, the peak was so high up there. So far away. And we climbed and camped up there? The feeling that overcame me was overwhelming. But it wasn't the feat of the climb. It wasn't the awesome experience of spending the night up there. It was the beauty... The mountain peak was just about to touch the clouds. It was so high, I could hardly denote the single trees in the straight line that formed the mountaintop. And we were a part of all that. I felt like the mountain was now a part of me. My heart was pounding from the uphill climb, breathing in the fresh mountain air like it was almost liquid. That only added to the intensity of the experience.

To make the journey to the destination... to decide it's good at times to look back. To realize, you were a part of the beauty, if only for a moment. I remember now thinking and dreaming these thoughts when I was younger. I never really stopped, I was just destracted for a bit. Looking around... deciding to be a part of the beauty that is all around me. This is how I will lead the rest of my life. I had found what I was looking for.