Outdoor writing contest: A Journey of Pain Leads to Joy
“I cannot believe I am actually doing this,” I grumbled.
As I trudged up the sheer, rocky hill, my feet continued slipping and sliding on the earthy collage beneath me. The hill, near Lake Roosevelt, was composed completely of pointed stones that tumbled downward with the slightest bit of pressure. One wrong move would surely send me to certain demise. This hellish journey of a climb was everything I imagined a trip up Mt. Everest to be. Hiking was a horrible idea.
My brother, Keagan, was about 20 feet ahead, glancing back to make sure I was still alive. With gasping breaths of pain, I bent over. The savage heat of the sun bore down on my back; as a result, my athletic clothes stuck to my body with a gross film of sweat. The hot burn of the sun was nothing compared to the blaze shooting through my muscles though. This would be my fourth break in 10 minutes, and I was already dying inside. I sent a glare to the clear, azure sky touching the top of the hill. I was not even halfway!
“Come on, McKenna,” Keagan shouted.
A loud growl escaped me. If I had to climb much longer, I would likely collapse. My heart beat frantically in my chest as I pushed my exhausted body up and forward. Dull green plants smelling of a bitter spice became mush in my palms when my feet slipped and I went seeking support. Slowing to steady myself, I planted my feet between the ever-shifting rocks and swayed forward with my arms extended before me. My knees were bent to prevent myself from a harsh crash into the ground. After two minutes of my slow crawl upward, I raised my head to see my brother waiting for me. Noticing the grimace glued to my face, he let out a boisterous laugh. I was going to strangle him when I reached the summit.
“Oh, come on! It is not that bad. … At least we get to spend time together,” he grinned. Although my anger at him mocking me had yet to subside, I surmised that he was right. With his nonstop varsity football practices, I rarely had the opportunity to even see, let alone spend time with Keagan anymore. Today was different.
Taking much shorter strides, he stayed at a steady pace with me as we continued. With a contented silence that neither of us broke, we crested the top of the back-breaking mini-mountain. A bright cerulean sky touched the tips of the prickly pine trees. The jagged rust-colored stones, spiny green bushes and myriad pine cones mixed in a calming earth mosaic. Dirt crunched softly, the birds chirped their songs, and the whistling wind whipped across my face. Plopping down onto the ledge, Keagan and I let our feet dangle over. The joy in my heart was a breaking dawn of warm rays rushing beyond the darkness of our grueling climb. My smile was bright as I took in the gorgeous view and the lasting memories I had made with my brother. The sweat, dirt and pain from crawling upward on razor-sharp rocks was canceled out by the quality time I got to spend with my brother. The journey, although it was riddled with treacherous paths and arguments between Keagan and me, brought forth a rare moment of sibling bonding.
The hike was completely worth it. Now, we just had to find a way down.