By Sebastian Raman

The cool northern breeze brushed over me like a cloud of fatigue. My legs were burning, my entire back ached, and my 60-pound pack dug into my shoulders and waist like nothing I’d ever felt before. I knew that the hike into the Cirque of the Unclimbables wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I didn’t know it was going to the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done.

All I could think about was my vision of what that beautiful 1500m high meadow would look like. With each step I took I thought about the thick green grass, the flowing river, and the massive granite rocks high in the valley of the Cirque. However, it felt like even this vison of pure bliss wouldn’t be enough to get me to the top, because with every wind in the unmarked trail there would be a huge, steep incline that would leave me gasping for air with wobbly legs.

Yet somehow, I pushed on. I don’t know what kept me going, but there I was putting one foot in front of the other again… and again… and again. With each heavy breath the cool air filled my lungs. Mosquitos were buzzing around my head and blisters were forming on my feet. We still had not escaped the tree line, but the forest gradually grew less dense, so I knew we were close.

We turned right to face this 6-foot-tall 70º section of the hike. I shortened my hiking poles and stabbed them into the dirt, I got on my hands and feet, and slowly heaved myself up and onto the trail. I lay there for a second, more tired than ever, panting like a dog, with my heart beating out of my chest. And when I rose up, it was like a scene straight out of a movie. I took a few steps forward, and as I exited the tree-line, this massive granite mountain emerged, glistening in the dull light with the tip of its peak in the clouds… and it was as if the weight of my pack was lifted off my back in an instant. Seeing this incredible mountain and knowing that every step I took would get me closer to it was extremely motivating. Although the rest of the hike was still technically challenging, it seemed 100 times easier with this incredible mountain in sight.

To this day I still don’t know exactly what it was about that view that captured me, but what I do know is that no matter how challenging something is, if you put your mind to it and push on, something along the way will become your granite mountain and get you across the finish line.