As we sat there staring up at the sky looking at the millions of stars a thick heavy fog once again hit us. We decided to hike the last half kilometer up to the official top after that and then wait for the sunrise. The closer we got to the top the heavier the wind got, the thicker the clouds were and the more the temperature dropped. On top of that it started drizzling which quickly turned to light sleet. We had about 30 minutes before the sun was to rise so we all bunkered down in this random broom closet looking room to eat and find shelter from the wind.
We waited till around 6:10 and decide to hike the last 50 yards or so which turned out to be a rock climbing experience. We waited in the blistering cold wind and sleet for the one thing we’ve been working for. After an hour of waiting we decided to call it a day and start our trek back down the mountain. We never did get to see the sunrise, we never did get to see the 2 oceans, and we never did get to see the beautiful landscape but a small glimpse.
Looking back at it now, I don’t regret one thing and I wouldn’t have that hike any other way. We had good conversations, we had a lot of laughs, we saw prayers answered with injuries and altitude sickness going away, and we had people accomplish things they never thought they could! Yeah it would’ve been nice to see the full sunrise but the glimpse we got to see was good enough.
Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? Every bit of it. It was awesome to see everyone come together as a team and help one another out. It was really awesome to see and hear the spiritual parallels people got from the hike. We all learned so many lessons and that to me made it worth it. It helped me realize the importance of perspective. We could’ve came off that mountain pissed we didn’t see what we wanted but instead we came off the mountain tired but extremely happy with what we got and the experience we had!
Sometimes in life we get our hopes up with wanting too big of things when we should be thankful for the smaller things in life. Easier said than done I know, but let’s try for a perspective change.
