Just a few more steps, I told myself.
You can do it. Just keep hiking.
At home, I would be in Spanish class, just about to have lunch. But at home I was not. I was at school, but a school unlike any other I had ever attended. We were all out in the heart of Pisgah National Forest with forty-pound packs on our backs, hiking up a mountain.
“About ten minutes until lunch,” one of my teachers, McNeil, called back from the head of the line. I groaned internally, as I was not sure that I would ever make it the rest of the way up this dreadful mountain. My legs had been sore from about ten feet onto the trail, and now they were on fire.
I looked up and was startled to see that the rest of the group was at least fifteen feet ahead of me. I tried to push my legs faster, but it seemed like they just didn’t want to move at any speed besides the one of their choosing.
What was happening to me? Back at home, I swam almost year-round and was usually in pretty good shape, but it seemed my stamina had been reduced to that of my six-year-old sister.
We all came to a stop when we reached a place where our trail intersected with another. I trudged up the last few feet, slowly bringing up the rear.
“How about we eat lunch here? Everyone good with that?” McNeil asked.
“Sounds good!” came the response that sounded much too enthusiastic for how I was feeling. I nodded in as much exhausted agreement as I could, and plopped down onto the ground as soon as I could heave my bulky pack off.
“Who wants to help get the food out?”
McNeil looked around for volunteers. I knew I should be a good member of the group and help out, but right then I didn’t feel like doing anything but sitting on my butt. Three other students raised their hands and let me off the hook. I leaned up against a tree and closed my eyes.
After a few minutes, a student called “lunch is ready.” I pulled myself up and walked over to where pita bread, hummus, cheese, and tomatoes had been set out. I didn’t feel like eating much. Picking up half a pita, I spread a layer of hummus on it and went and sat back down. Everyone else was talking and laughing, and I tried to join in some, but it seemed awkward to me. I continued to stay to myself until suddenly a voice said “Katie?” from next to me.
Nate, the other group leader, a short, broad-chested guy who always seemed to be in a good mood, was sitting next to my pack. “Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” I tried to smile.
“I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was going okay,” he said lightly. “It seemed like the last part of that hike was a bit hard.”
I almost felt like crying. So everyone had seen how hard it had been for me. Great.
“Um... It was just a bit steep at the end there,” I mumbled.
“No kidding,” he agreed. “You guys were all doing great.”
“Yeah, everyone else was doing fine,” I muttered.
“You were too!” he said, but I knew that saying those things was just part of the job description.
“I’m just not up for this.” I sighed. “Everyone else went up that mountain like it was a hill, and I barely made it up with my lungs intact.”
“See the ridge?” He asked. I nodded. “We walk along that flat part for about a mile, and then it’s downhill to our campsite from there.” Nate said. “You’ve conquered the worst part.“
I looked out across the trail and was surprised at just how much we could see from where we were sitting.
BLUE-FORESTED MOUNTAIN CHAINS WOVE IN AND OUT AS FAR AS I COULD SEE.
THE SKY WAS A CRYSTAL-CLEAR BLUE DOTTED WITH COTTON-BALL CLOUDS.
Though the trees were barren, the scene was not one of a desolate midwinter, but instead breathtakingly grand. It was beautiful, and I realized how much I might have missed while just thinking about my troubles. We really had hiked up pretty far, and I had done it, hadn’t I? I decided then that my goal for the next day that we were out in the forest was just to enjoy the scenery and the company of the people around me.
“Sure. Thanks Nate,” I said and gave him a real smile this time.
“No problem. Now I think I’m going to get another sandwich. Backpacking makes me hungry!” He stood up.
“That sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. My appetite had suddenly come back. He held
out a hand and helped me up. We walked over to the food, and this time I put lots of cheese and tomato on my pita. I went over, sat down, and joined in the conversation.
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