Effort

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas A. Edison

Or in this case, dressed in hiking boots. We drove two hours over desolate, beautiful country, turned onto an elongated gravel road and waited in line for a parking spot to open. We spoke to a friendly ranger who checked if we had the correct pass to enter. Finally made it to the dusty parking lot and overcame adversity in the malodorous porta-potty. Then, the real work began. Hiking over some gentle, rolling mounds was actually pleasant after being cooped up in the vehicle for so long. Fresh air, sweet breeze, this was the life of an outdoors junkie. Then we reached the end of the "rolling hill section" and dropped down into a chasm with switchbacks, loose gravel and rattle snakes. Now, instead of reveling in the fresh air and kicking up my heels, I was sucking wind and moving slowly. Choosing where to place my foot for the next step became my focus. The path hugged the canyon walls in spots and every stone that dislodged and rolled down into the abyss was a bit startling. There weren't any safety rails or benches to sit and gaze at the rugged beauty. A state of vertigo could have been fatal. We climbed, without speaking, pacing ourselves and carefully navigating around other climbers making their way back down. Eventually, a terrific roar alerted us to our destination. There she was: the glorious Palouse Falls doing her thing. We took photos from atop our rock seat and admired the spectacular sight. What a great show...bravo! On the way back to our car, I couldn't help but see an analogy in this climb. It is like life. Getting to the things that matter, the beautiful-wonderful- sweet things in life take some time and hard work. But like my hike, it is worth it in the end. Take the road less traveled today, my friend. The destination is sweeter because of the effort it takes.