i have always sort of understood what people ment when they said that the stair way to heaven…. well at least i thought that i did. thanks to seth, our wonderful visionary leader in ga, our last race ended at the top of a volcanoe over 9,000ft up – which we first had to climb! for those people who are totally into the outdoors (ie. hiking, climbing, etc) this was awesome. and although i love the outdoors i can’t say that i have ever done much hiking, little hikes yes, but nothing like i was about to encounter. about 80% of this hike was stairs, which seemed to go almost straight up at times. the paths were narrow, there were several occasions that we had to move off the path to let other people come down. having been made of dirt and logs the stairs were uneven. when we first started the ground was still slick with dew and when we came back down it had all dried out and you kicked up big puffs of dirt into the air with each step.
so how did this insaine hike up a volcanoe in san pedro, guatemala have anything to do with the ‘stairway to heaven’? it is not something that just anyone can do! it’s not easy! their is a price to pay even before you start up the path (in the case of the volcanoe about $10usd each). you may start out thinking that it is just going to be a nice slow easy trail that is relatively flat. that you’ll spend most of your time on switchbacks making your climb by working your way back and forth up the volcanoe. but no – there are small obsticales and things that will get in your way along the path (rocks and tree limbs). there are other small little paths that go off in other directions that could steer you in the wrong direction. there are views and new things to see along the way that you will want to stop and enjoy. there are some logs and roots that have been just sitting on the path as steps for so long that they have become rotten and are no longer of any good use. you can make it to the top on will power alone (which is what i had to resort to – since my body was just not co-operating with my brain), but there will be much pain and suffering along the way as you climb up stair after stair straight up.
whether you are climbing a volcanoe or wanting to reach heaven… know what you are getting into first! be prepared for the things that you are going to face. realise that it is going to take will power alone at times. train / prepare yourself for the climb that you are going to make. you can’t just sit around and expect to make it to the top. you have to work at it. the more you workout and prepare for it the easier it will be when you face those parts that seem impossible. and know that there will be some pain and sacrifice that is involved.
i do not know what other volcanoes or mountains i will have to climb in my life time. but i do know that i want to be ready to climb that stairway to heaven when my time comes.
