All the way UP

I'm about to shock you all.

I climbed a mountain last night.

Yes, me. To the top. The tippy top.

Despite my fear of heights, bugs, and animals. I didn't fear the animals that might have been lurking or the creepy crawlies that may have been in the brush I was grabbing hold of. However, I was scared to death the entire way up because I knew I'd have to find a way back down. But, word to the wise, if you ever find yourself atop a mountain and you're afraid to travel the trails down by foot, remember - your bottom may have more surface area than your feet!

I don't know what got into me though. The trail guide mentioned a really spectacular sight that I've only read about in books and I really wanted to see it. Really bad. Even though it meant traversing along a steep, narrow trail that I could possibly slide down into a ravine of rocks with one failed step. But I did it! I made it! And I saw this very old, and very neat, sight with my own eyes!! Going back was very scary though.. I scooted along on my butt some of the way. I don't know that I'll have the courage to get to this spot again.

Continuing up the mountain though, up, up, up, we came to a very peaceful, low-incline area. It was full of oak trees, offering much welcome shade and coolness after the steep, slippery, switchbacks up. There was some ground covering plants with leaves as big as my head, which proved an abundance of water in the area at some point. And finally, alas, we came to our destination - a beautiful waterfall, hidden deep within the mountain! The picture really doesn't do it justice.

Luckily, as my reward for making it to the top alive, nature presented me with a gift. A very useful hiking stick. This really, truly, helped alleviate my fears on the downward trek because it was kind of like having a third leg. It was also starting to get dark too. Perhaps the darkness though is what made me not as fearful of the ledges.

At the end, my feet were alot dirter than they would have been if I had gone to my yoga class instead, but this was well worth the hike. It put me in a position to trust in God to bring me down alive and with all my skin intact, and it allowed me the opportunity to see some of the beauty God has created. The view from many areas on this trail was magnificent as well and I could see the entire valley from where I was. I'm so glad I was somehow able to put my fears aside and do this hike!