Ascent

 

     I awoke before the alarm sounded. I smiled as stillness surrounded me.

I grabbed my gear, kissed my wife, and headed out. I had missed spending time alone in the mountains.

     I had grown up hiking with my family. I always was the fastest in our family, and I often ended up alone while I waited for them. The time that I spent alone always brought me insight. Sometimes it would be a feeling of peace. Sometimes it would be motivation, prompted by the onset of winter and the promise of good snow. Still other times it would be a thought that would fill my mind and fill me with inspiration. No matter how it happened, it brought me the answers that I sought.

     Snow and wind were blowing past the windshield, making it impossible to see the road. I gripped the steering wheel tightly. It may not have been the wisest decision to do this in the dark and snow, but I needed this. I felt the tires lose their grip as the car started sliding into the guard rail. My heart pounded and the spinning finally stopped. I thought of what it would mean to lose everything.

     I reached the base of the mountain; it was still dark. I put on my headlamp and started my ascent. The brush cracked under my boots as I moved ahead. The trees in shadow surrounded me. The smell of decaying leaves and pine filled the air as I breathed heavily with my effort. 

    I reached the summit and the sun was beginning to break over the range. The glow of light filled my eyes, and I thought of what I had been seeking in this hike that reminded me of so many from my childhood. I had found something new in something old.