The Hiking Hint

     When I was fourteen years old, my family spent a week at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. While my parents and siblings stayed in camp attending classes, doing crafts and other activities, my older sister and I opted to take a week-long backpacking trek through Philmont’s wilderness backcountry. 

It sounded like a fun adventure: hike a few miles every day, cook outdoor meals, watch campfire programs at night, and do some rock-climbing and rappelling—nothing we couldn’t handle.  In fact, we were exhilarated about a week in the mountains. 

We said a cheerful “goodbye” to the rest of our family and boarded the bus that would take us to our drop-off point.  My heart pounded with anticipation.  The bus rolled to a stop and we jumped out, grabbed our gear and looked up—at a huge hill.  The first mile of our trek seemed to stretch straight up from where we stood!  Biting our tongues, we set out. It was hard!  Our forty-pound packs weighed us down and the sun beat on our backs. When we reached the crest of the first hill, another one loomed before us. This was one, big mountain! After what seemed like ages, we begged our ranger to let us take a break. 

“No,” she said, “We’re just getting started.” 

“What?” I thought. I was already exhausted. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached our campsite. I collapsed onto a rock and felt I would never get up again. I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning came too soon. We were up at the crack of dawn, eating freeze-dried food and swallowing our toothbrush water. We then rolled up our tents, hoisted our packs onto our backs, and set out up another continuous mountain. Each day, our routine was the same. The trails up seemed to last forever and the trails down soon made our knees ache. The food we attempted to cook over our smoldering campfires was less than gourmet. Since Philmont is a low-impact camp, we also grew accustomed to living without deodorant and using minimal water to clean ourselves. As the week wore on, our feet became covered with blisters and our backs ached. This was not the relaxing week in nature I had pictured.

One particularly difficult day, I was ready to give up. This backpacking trip was not all it was cracked up to be. Quitting seemed like a wise choice. But base camp was miles away. I had committed and there seemed to be no way out. And so I went on, one foot in front of the other.
As I pressed on, an amazing thing happened--I survived! And surprisingly, I not only survived--I thrived!

Despite the trials of the trek, there were moments of spectacular beauty, personal satisfaction, and even fun. At the end of the week my sister and I returned—tired and dirty—but victorious!

Later, in the car on the way home from Philmont, I talked to my Dad about the trek and we discussed the day I had nearly given up. As an experienced backpacker himself, he taught me a very important truth. 

“There will be a time on every hike when you will want to quit,” he said. “You will say to yourself, ‘If I had known it would be this hard, I would not have come.’” He then went on to explain that feelings of doubt are normal—even expected—on challenging treks. But if we press on, the difficult times will always pass, and we will reach our destination.

As I grew older, I continued to take long hikes up difficult trails to beautiful mountain peaks. I often remembered my Dad’s hiking hint. He was right! During nearly every hike I would think, “If I had known it would be this hard, I would not have come.” Often these feelings of despair came just minutes before a breathtaking view of the valley below.
My Dad’s hiking hint was also true in other areas of my life. I clearly remember a day on my mission when I said to myself, “If I had known missions were this hard, I would not have come.” It was a soul-searching time, but I pressed on, and eventually reached new heights and a personal triumph. 

When we shouted for joy at the opportunity to come to earth, we did not fully understand the challenges we would face here. However, our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father gave us the courage to commit to His Plan, leave our pre-mortal life and come to earth.  Like our life here in mortality, many important commitments are made in innocence--not ignorance--and set us on a path to joy. And if we remain true to our covenants and press on through this earth life, we will gain the privilege of reaching our Heavenly Home.

“If I had known it would be this hard, I would not have come,” I have said while attending college, during childbirth, and even while raising a family. But now I add, “If I only knew what spectacular moments are ahead, I would continue.” By committing ourselves and pressing on, we gain the help of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. They will lead us up the trail of life, through the difficult times, until we eventually are victorious and stand upon the mountain top. And it will be worth it.