Passion – A Never-Forget Adventure in The Wilderness

People have many passions. For some it could be sports, drawing, work or even playing video games. Everyone has something that gives them a strong and barely controllable emotion towards something. Is that what you call passion? Maybe so. Unfortunately for me I can not simply explain my passion in one word or sum it up in a couple sentences. I will have to tell a life changing story that altered the way I see and feel the world.

I am on a National Outdoor Leadership School course (NOLS). Six days have passed since I started this journey into the wilderness. I am in the Lemhi mountain range of Idaho; these past six days have been treacherous, bitter, and exciting. So far, the nights have been cold as ice; my equipment and clothing are drenched by the frequent rain and snowfall, my body frozen only to get warmth from the sun. My back and feet ache by long-distance travel with the weight of a seventy-five-pound backpack. The illumination of the moon and stars was my only guide in the starry black night. Every day was life changing.

Today was different from all others. The morning air was sweet and smelled like spruce. The time was 8:00 am, I had already eaten my breakfast and was ready to embark on the next exciting leg of the journey. During this adventure, I had the company of three instructors and twelve fellow students. After breakfast the instructors told all the students to have a group meeting before leaving for the next hike. The instructors said, “Today we are going to do a peak assent” they also informed us “so be sure to wear warm clothing when we get to the base of the mountain its going to get cold”.

After the meeting was over we started hiking to the mountain. The time was 8:45 am when we left, the traveling distance, five miles and the elevation gain was 1400 feet. On the trail I came across wild animals such as deer, bighorn sheep, and moose. When we finally arrived at the base of the mountain, the instructors told us to take a break for a moment and look around to get familiar with the surrounding area. I looked at this gigantic mountain. The mountain was covered top to bottom, with so much snow. The mountain cast a shadow over the forest and its height reached the sky and blocked out the sun. When everyone was done resting we stared to hike the mountain. We hiked up the old rocky zig-zag mountain path. The zig-zag made it easier to ascend the mountain. Clouds stared to cover the sun; later it started to snow. The snow was wet and cold and struck every bone in my body. I was cold and worn out but I kept on going. As I approached the top of the mountain the clouds started to clear. “I finally made it” I said with joy. I stopped and took a deep breath the looked out. “This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen” I said. As I towered over the earth, I saw it full of beauty and glory as far as the eyes can see. It was as if time had gone in to a standstill. All my aching pain and worries had been taken away and forgotten. At that very moment I realized I can do anything I put my heart into. (I also realized I can make this Steemit post, Haha ;)