I was younger then. My cousin and uncle came down to the Knoxville area and asked me if I would go on a hike with them. Our target was Mt. Le Conte. I knew it had been some time since I had focused on physical training. I was in college and newly married, my time investments were spent elsewhere. Yet, it hadn’t been that long ago that I had been running daily and gone on other mountain ascending hikes, so I was fairly confident in my abilities.
Allow me to tell you a little about Mt. Le Conte that I did not know at the time. Mt. Le Conte is the third highest peak in the smokey mountain national park, however, from base to summit it is the tallest mountain east of the Rocky Mountains. From base, near Gatlinburg, to peak, you cover over 5000 feet of elevation gain.
I knew the hike would take most of the day and packed a lunch and water as needed as well as a camera. We started the hike at a level incline meandering through sun-dappled woods. The day was warm, but not hot, and we all carried extra clothing for the eventual cooler temperatures at the top. It was beautiful.
Hours later, as we skirted a rather thin part of the trail hugging one side of the mountain, I was having trouble identifying whether my lungs or legs burned more. By the time we reached the Inn located just shy of the peak, I was ready to collapse.
I had far overestimated my fitness for the hike.
We stopped for a bare handful of minutes before continuing to a small rock bald with unimpeded views stretching for miles. It was spectacular.
When I was learning to run, I was instructed to look down whenever I came to a hill. A large portion of running is the mental game and staring at a long incline seems to increase your awareness of the added difficulty of ascending the climb. Somehow, staring at the next few steps makes you far less aware of the climb.
That is the example I always think of when I hear someone say, “Just keep your head down and keep on…” Just figure out the next few steps and focus on the fundamentals, don’t look at the big picture, you’ll reach the top when you get there. It’s a mental game.
When we started down that trailhead, just outside of Gatlinburg, beautiful hardwoods stretched thick canopy all around us. The forest blocked our view of everything but the next short section of the trail. I am glad it did. I cannot imagine how much more difficult the climb would have been having I ever seen Mt. Le Conte from top to bottom all at once.
I might have cheated myself out of the experience of reaching the mountain top because of feeling intimidated by the immensity of the mountain in front of me.
I am no master wordsmith, and I hope my words are not too heavy-handed, but I am sure you can see where I am going with this. I have had a very full past couple of weeks, and I am staring at a massive mountain in front of me.
Yesterday my system was in so much shock that I failed to write anything. Today, I am attempting to remind myself that mountains in life, as with real ones, are ascended one step at a time. If you try to take in the entire climb at once, you could never figure out how to start.
Thankfully we don’t have to. God promises direction and wisdom. Isaiah 30:21 says, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30 ESV)
We are tasked with keeping our eyes focused on the path in front of us and God will show us the trail to follow.
No matter the size of the mountain facing you in life, the path up is still traveled one step at a time. Trying to layout the entire journey before taking your first step will cause anxiety, stress, and disappointment. Trust and be patient with the process. Enjoy the scenery, tackle the adversity, and let the peak come when you get there.
I am sure the climb will be tough, but I am equally sure the experience at the top will be incredibly worth it. Allow me to leave you with a couple of other scriptures of encouragement and remember you are a mountain climber too.
Philippians 3:13-14, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Hebrews 12:2, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith”
Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Z Notables 