During Labor Day weekend I went on a hiking trip to Zion National Park with about 30 strangers. Yes, you read that right. I broke free from my overly paranoid and rather rigid comfort zone to travel across state lines with people whose last names I didn't even know.
There is no denying I was nervous about it. As the trip neared, I constantly thought about backing out or asking the group leaders if I can bring a friend. When I did neither, I told my friends I'd text them the make, model and license plate of the car I'd be riding in. But, I didn't end up doing that either. Deep down inside I knew that I wouldn't be in any danger. My true fear was my own discomfort in rooming with strangers, sitting in the back seat for an extended period of time with them, making small talk and being left behind on the hike. Okay, the latter could have been a little dangerous but as it turned out, the group was very conscientious about making sure no one was left behind or lost. So, I was okay.
And I'm so happy I didn't back out. Hiking in Zion was an amazing experience. And the fact that I did so with strangers added something more to it. I learned that when you're with people who don't know you, you can be anyone or anything you want. In my case, I decided I could be brave and strong and even a little adventurous. Despite my fear of lizards and geckos and encountering one while climbing a rock and holding on to dear life at the edge of a cliff, I hiked (and at times, climbed) this:
Angels Landing. At the top, the elevation is 5,790 feet. The picture above is the last leg of it, which consists of a narrow and steep trail with support chains anchored along portions of the route. My key in getting through this final summit to the top was never looking to my right and never looking back. I didn't really look up either. I only focused on what was right in front of me. In doing so I learned there's no room for doubt when you're focused on the present. There's no room for fear when you're focused on surviving, when your goal is not to fall off a canyon and die.
When we hiked Angels Landing it was in the middle of the afternoon and the temperature was over a hundred degrees. So, we were definitely faced with other challenges. But again, all that mattered to me was getting to the top alive. It didn't matter that my clothes were drenched in sweat, my face was a combination of oil and dust, and I smelled like two-week old soiled dirty laundry.
I made it to the top.
It felt beyond amazing. At that moment I felt like I could overcome anything. And for the first time, for as long as I can remember, I wasn't scared or worried. I wasn't scared of being cheesy and excited and happy (hence the pose). I wasn't scared of being vulnerable. I wasn't scared of just being myself. At 5,790 feet I overcame my fear of getting hurt and failing. All the trials and challenges that I had been through, and was going through, just seemed really small and insignificant from up there.
So, without consciously intending it to be, that was the point of this trip: to push myself beyond the confines of my past and circumstances. To find that person in me who is capable of being brave and happy and strong. And finally, to just live what I've been preaching: change comes with movement.
There is no denying I was nervous about it. As the trip neared, I constantly thought about backing out or asking the group leaders if I can bring a friend. When I did neither, I told my friends I'd text them the make, model and license plate of the car I'd be riding in. But, I didn't end up doing that either. Deep down inside I knew that I wouldn't be in any danger. My true fear was my own discomfort in rooming with strangers, sitting in the back seat for an extended period of time with them, making small talk and being left behind on the hike. Okay, the latter could have been a little dangerous but as it turned out, the group was very conscientious about making sure no one was left behind or lost. So, I was okay.
And I'm so happy I didn't back out. Hiking in Zion was an amazing experience. And the fact that I did so with strangers added something more to it. I learned that when you're with people who don't know you, you can be anyone or anything you want. In my case, I decided I could be brave and strong and even a little adventurous. Despite my fear of lizards and geckos and encountering one while climbing a rock and holding on to dear life at the edge of a cliff, I hiked (and at times, climbed) this:
Angels Landing. At the top, the elevation is 5,790 feet. The picture above is the last leg of it, which consists of a narrow and steep trail with support chains anchored along portions of the route. My key in getting through this final summit to the top was never looking to my right and never looking back. I didn't really look up either. I only focused on what was right in front of me. In doing so I learned there's no room for doubt when you're focused on the present. There's no room for fear when you're focused on surviving, when your goal is not to fall off a canyon and die.
When we hiked Angels Landing it was in the middle of the afternoon and the temperature was over a hundred degrees. So, we were definitely faced with other challenges. But again, all that mattered to me was getting to the top alive. It didn't matter that my clothes were drenched in sweat, my face was a combination of oil and dust, and I smelled like two-week old soiled dirty laundry.
I made it to the top.
So, without consciously intending it to be, that was the point of this trip: to push myself beyond the confines of my past and circumstances. To find that person in me who is capable of being brave and happy and strong. And finally, to just live what I've been preaching: change comes with movement.
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