![]() Day 2- We finally made it to our camp site! It turns out the place we camped on the side of the trail the night before was still a far distance from our campsite. And Day 2 of hiking was not any easier. Overall it was nearly 5 miles of straight incline to get from the parking lot to our campsite. Next time, we will probably study the map a bit more before we head out. But oh my, did it feel good to put out bags down at the campsite, knowing the next time we would strap them on would be on our downhill descent home. There was this amazing boulder right next to camp where we lied back on and soaked in a morning of rest once we got there. Our site was hidden between cascading rocks and an enchanting forest, I wished I never had to return to the parking lot and back into civilization, I could have lived in that little campsite forever! Especially with these three ladies who are full of good thoughts and inspiring conversation, not to mention they make me come alive with laughter and silliness. What better way to spend Thanksgiving than with three of your best friends in the woods. We still had two days before our canned Thanksgiving feast though. First, we had some epic views to catch in the endless trails and scenic overlooks at Big Bend. After our morning of rest, we headed out to the second highest peak in Texas, Emory Peak. This hike was literally a walk in the park having no bags to carry. It was a good half-day hike filled with interesting conversations and beautiful sights. We talked about everything under the moon: Relationships, ideas, colors, weird story telling, and some more vulgar conversations that I won't explain. At one point we recollected on all the conversations we had just had and laughed at the range of thought. We wondered what it would be like if we were four guys venturing through the woods, what would we talk about then? We just so happened to pass by four guys venturing in the woods so we asked them what they had been talking about the past half hour. They responded, "You want to know the truth?" And we said "YES!" and then they proceeded to tell us that they had been talking about Irritable Bowel Syndrome followed by a disclaimer that they were pre-med students. That wouldn't had been very shocking to us had we not just talked about menstruation for at least an hour. We made it to Emory Peak and it was beautiful. It's amazing how metaphoric climbing mountains can be. One of the reasons I wanted to leave my family behind over Thanksgiving and be in a restful, removed place in the woods, was because I had really been struggling with some issues on the home front and had been facing waves of difficult times for a while. Climbing up mountains is like hitting those waves, and they are trying to knock you down and keep you from moving forward. But then you get those downhill moments that feel amazing because your legs are stronger from the incline. And day after day facing resistance gives you strength you never knew you had in you.
And then you get on top of the mountain, and those hills along the way seem so far in the past, but at the same time, they were so important because they got you to that place of beauty and rest and satisfaction. We must have stayed on top of the mountain for hours staring off at all the wonder, soaking in the journey of life, pondering how worthwhile the peaks and valleys of the journey truly are. I needed Emory Peak that day.
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AuthorKatie Elizabeth: Archives
February 2021
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