A hike can change your life

 A hike can change your life...

Not all of us understand hiking and are seldom mindful enough to understand it really. I was fortunate to experience this beautiful journey, a wonderful activity to rejuvenate the mind and give you a fresh new perspective on life itself, which enhances its understanding within us.

A hike begins with dreams of beautiful views of forests or mountains filled with sunshine, greenery nature, and solace in nature's lap. We dream vividly and imagine the end result in great detail and depth, almost always, fortunately, and completely forget about the ride on the way.

We are supported by the people who want the best for us, who understand us and believe that we can do this. They are also wise people who understand the worth and lessons learned from this hike. Hence we begin any plan with borrowed strength.

So we plan a day, like I did with some sunshine expected to make the journey brighter and much more enjoyable. We prepare a small backpack with some things that we anticipate we may need- like water, an umbrella, food, and maybe a diary, an extra layer. So this preparation gives us the boost to try to fulfill our dream.

Now the day comes when we start, it's full of anxiety yet excitement and the thrill of something new. The beginner's luck and enthusiasm take over us. With joy and excitement, we speed up the route and want to get to the end as fast as possible.

But soon we encounter a few difficulties- which were not anticipated and hence we are not mentally prepared. We lose our way! The GPS goes bonkers, no one else in the forest but oneself and we see a very faint trail- hardly inspiring trust. But like a whisper telling us what to do.

We continue, past this first setback and pick up pace again. We see beauty and peace around us whenever we decide to slow down and feel the present.

But lo behold, we encounter yet another setback- but this time way different from the previous one and not anything like we could have imagined or prepared for, It's a big tree fallen down right in the middle of the track and you are not sure, if you can jump across it and continue. We sense fear for the first time, an overwhelming feeling that is telling us to turn back.

Fear is telling us "It isn't worth the pain'. Soon the thoughts of returning and giving up begin.

But some part of us is still attached to the dream, still wondering and looking at the trail ahead, wondering what beauty lies ahead. It is gathering some thought, making some predictions, and amassing courage. A very fine line exists between stupidity and bravery, which is often discovered when we cross it. 

We somehow manage to cross over and this crossing over gives us the motivation and strength to continue stronger on this journey. We continue and now we understand this journey and path a little better. We can now appreciate the hike- a journey through the forest. We start noticing the different hues of the forest- different shades of rust and green. We feel the wind in our faces and experience the solace in the silence and sounds of the wind. We can begin to see some of our dreams coming true- or maybe I should say glimpses of the yet considered impossible.


It's all wonderful for a while- yes sadly just for a short while. We now begin to become impatient and want to hurry for a goal. We suffer and make ourselves suffer repeatedly by the fears and worries of imaginary roadblocks. While we are fighting these thoughts in an exhausting mental battle, we drift in and out of the serenity and peace offered by the forest. The trees are so huge and the mountains so big, they sometimes inspire us and wipe out our ego- momentarily. 

It's going good so far, but now we are tired. Yes, tired already. We want it to end. We look at the GPS and lord almighty, sadly it is still miles away. We are frustrated at this point because we can no longer turn back and going forward seems very painful and difficult. 

We question ourselves and try to find out why we began and what this is worth. Is it worth all the pain? With this, we have to accept that we can't change the route and can't stop or turn back. We are now worried about the dark and how we get back.

But suddenly you see small omens- small signboards that you are on the right track. Rays of sunshine shine through the clouds and files of trees, giving it a divine and surreal feeling. We begin to experience hope of something beautiful and better.

We also meet some people on their journey back or journey upwards. These people end our suffering and the idea of loneliness and belonging is generated. We have a small talk and a word or few about how wonderful it is.

Our energy is renewed and we are inching closer to our goal. We can now see it and we have finally reached it!


It's much more than what we dreamed, could have dreamt or any picture could have ever conveyed. Our sweat, effort, and courage make this sight a million times more beautiful than it may have been without the hike.


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