Challenges

If you have spent any time camping or hiking (or really any time in the woods), you know challenges occur. Whether it’s a cramped campsite, a low battery, icy trails, or not well marked trails, we often encounter challenges that require us to remain calm and problem solve. We did a hike this past weekend with friends that reminded me of the value of my time on the road and on the trail.

We were almost back to the trailhead after a fabulous hike. The weather was picture perfect: not too hot or cold and a cloudless blue sky. The conversations were thought provoking and everyone felt physically strong on the trail. We hiked Cat Mountain in Bolton Landing which has a fair amount of elevation. We did the red trail up and the blue trail down. Steep on the way up and relatively easier on the way down. Fallen leaves can make fall hiking treacherous but nary a stumble happened in our group. I was chatting with one of the 2 people in our group who had hiked this mountain before when he looked ahead and said “Oh no.” I couldn’t see what he was talking about at first. The sunlight reflecting on the water made it difficult to see the huge pond that covered the trail ahead! We admired the new pond before finding a foot path off to our right that we could take around the pond. We only had to ford a rock strewn creek to do it!

Challenges crop up in our lives on the daily. How we approach them decides how well we manage those challenges. Sometimes the water seems too big to cross and we need to take a moment to assess the situation from a few different viewpoints. Then we can proceed with the best path. We originally all groaned at the sight of that big body of water blocking our way. We started talking about backtracking to the crossroads of trails and see if we could get back to our car another way. But a careful survey of the landscape found us this path. No wet feet was the goal so with an extended hand to each other we all made our way across. My husband was last, and he bounded across effortlessly having watched where everyone else put their feet who went before him. That’s the thing with challenges. It helps to pay attention.

The next time life challenges you, whether it’s on the trail, on the camping road, or in your daily life remember that someone who came before you probably had a similar challenge. Look around and see if anyone else is struggling with the same challenge. Then, extend a hand or ask for a hand. We are all in this together and working through the challenges together make the journey that much sweeter. It also makes the success even more rewarding.