A Hiker's Tale

I have always loved hiking. It is uncomplicated – just wear your comfortable shoes, pick the trail and go. There is something about being outside that is liberating, clears away the stress and puts clarity in the mind. The hike can also be within our control whether to choose the easy trail or push ourselves further to a more difficult terrain.

I developed the love for hiking since I was young. I would go with my Father and Brother to visit our farm or our Grandmother in another town. There are areas where our good old jeep can’t enter. We would travel by foot sometimes on very small pathways and makeshift bridges. It was scary at times for a child but at the same time fun and adventurous. That sense of wonder and adventure stayed on with me through the years. I challenged myself to unknown trails and there is a sense of fulfillment once you’ve accomplished what you have set out to do.

This year when Covid/lockdown happened, hiking has been very therapeutic for me. With borders from other provinces/countries closed, higher risks of infection on planes and constricted areas … open space and land travel was for me a safer option to soothe my longing for getting out of the house. There has been a progression to the trips. First parks within the city (1 hour or less drive away), then neighboring cities (2 to 3 hours’ drive) until more planning involved and overnight stays are required. With my hiking adventures with family and friends this year, both on near and far away destinations, there are valuable lessons than can be gleaned from the overall experience.

Lesson 1: Envisioning the end goal

If you have been hiking for some time now, there is a certain kind of high when you reach the lookout. The breathtaking sight makes the exhaustion from the trek melt away. I have experienced this in our trips to Lion’s Head Lookout (Northern Bruce Peninsula) and Cup and Saucer Trail (Manitoulin Island). Both took an hour-1.5 hours challenging climb to get to the top. Once on the look-out, having lunch while admiring the magnificent views, feeling the breeze run through your face, looking down on the calm waters (in both places, the turquoise waters of Georgian Bay) or forest, gazing up to the blue/clear skies with the sun warming your face – all contribute to an unforgettable experience. Once you’ve experienced it, you aim for the next – another more challenging hike, perhaps higher terrain. In both these trips, it all started with a mental picture of you in the summit/look-out. You see the photos and videos shared on social media, and you aim to be a part of it.

The same can be applied in life, I believe. We each dream of something bigger whether a brighter future for ourselves and our loved ones, advancement in our careers, being part of a cause/mission of changing the world. We envision what it is like, we play it over and over in our heads. We imagine and have a mental picture of what it would be like to reach that end goal.

Lesson 2: Preparing and staying on course

Once you have locked down that goal and picture in your mind, this serves as your compass as you face the road towards achieving it. Preparation is key. I remember thoughts during my research would make me doubt – can I really do this hike? Can my legs handle it? Can I handle the elevated areas or slippery rocks? We did research by viewing YouTube videos, reading articles, inputs from those who went already, and more. In addition, we did some preparation hikes leading to the major one. Same is true in life. That goal can never happen, if we stay idle. We study it, we prepare ourselves for it, we move forward.

Another key ingredient is perseverance and determination. Challenges, failures, disappointments can paralyze us or throw us off course – be it death/tragedy in the family, health crisis, lack of resources, and more. When you go through it, re-play that mental picture back in your mind and get back on track, maybe slowly at first until you gain the momentum back. It is never easy but overcoming these challenges make the fulfillment of the end goal, even more rewarding.

Lesson 3: Welcoming detours

No matter how much we plan, events are not within our control. In hiking we can get lost for various reasons - lack of proper signages, complicated trail maps, or our poor sense of direction. A verse in Proverbs 19:21 put things on a different perspective. “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” Therefore, it is important to recognize that there is a God, a Higher Being that determines our future. Without the Lord’s providence and blessing of our plans, we will never achieve or find fulfillment on anything. It is important to involve God from the very beginning and surrender our plans to Him with a submission that ultimately His Will prevails. Once we know this truth, detours un-faze us. In fact, we welcome them because God’s paths are better than ours. In our finite understanding, these may be detours but could be the opposite and that we are going into the right path all along because we listened to God’s guidance.

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A friend suggested we do Sleeping Giant next … that’s at Thunder Bay (13 hours drive from Toronto), 3-4 hours hike to the summit. Mental picture brewing in my mind …

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