Journey back in time...

Hiking in Landmannalaugar, Iceland

Life is a lot like hiking a mountain range.  There are going to be peaks and there are going to be valleys.  I remember my first real hiking trip every.  It was also my first real trip overseas.  It was 6 years ago when I took a journey for two weeks to the “Land of Fire and Ice” – Iceland.  Iceland is a majestic country unlike anything I have ever seen before filled with enormous glaciers, beautiful waterfalls, and a unique landscape mixed with black volcanic lava fields, hot springs, glaciers, breath-taking waterfalls, green grass, rainbows, and gorgeous mountains.  My best friend, Matt and I, decided to do a 4-day trek which is listed as one of the top 3 treks in the world.  It was an approximately 60 km hike over varied terrain and altitude.  One day we were hiking over beautiful green landscape, rocks, and mountains.  The next day it was across the flat black sand desert.  The next day we were hiking on the glacier across snow and rocks.  The last day was a mix of canyons consisting of every color of the rainbow built into the walls, turquoise sulfur springs, towering black volcanic rocks jutting out of the ground, and we finished off the 4-day adventure relaxing in a natural hot spring. 

The days were a mix of emotions.  I started off the hike with spirits high and energized for the adventure.  After the first day, both of my hips locked up on me and I spent the whole next day practically waddling about 12-14 km.  It was a really tough day for me.  I was exhausted, especially seeing the expanse of the landscape we had to cover in front of us and the height of the climbs we had to make with a 40 lb back pack on our backs.  There were times I was frustrated I ever decided to do the hike and really wanted to stop (although that was not possible because there was no where to go).  There were times where my legs were screaming, my heart was pounding, and I just wanted to collapse, but I knew it was not an option so I kept moving.  Doesn’t this kind of remind you of life so far?  Then the climate would change for the better. We would get to a peak and have coffee and a snack over-looking one of the most beautiful and pristine landscapes in the world.  I would sit there basking in gratitude for this amazing, life-changing experience.  I met some of the most incredible people, including a guy we affectionately nicknamed “Super Dad,” who was a university professor taking his wife and 3 kids on this trip with him.  He carried all the supplies for everyone, was a PhD, pulled his mattress from the mountain hut we stayed in outside in the freezing cold under the stars, spent time surfing and kayaking the frigid waters of Scandinavia, among a plethora of other accolades that are too many to name.  We would spend one day bored hiking across the flat desert sand, but then spend the night in a hut amongst the snow capped mountains.  We would spend the entire time living off oatmeal and dehydrated vegetables and quinoa, and then were beyond grateful when a gentleman offered us a tomato and cheese sandwich at the end of our journey.  It was nothing special but by comparison it felt like a meal at a Michelin-star restaurant.  My friend, Matt, still talks about that sandwich to this day.  We also capped off a brutal 4-day trek relaxing for hours in a crystal clear natural hot spring that was so beautiful I couldn’t even dream something like that up.

The thing about life is that it is not really life if you are only hanging out in the valleys or balancing on the peaks. It would have been impossible to appreciate a tomato and cheese sandwich the way we did without living on oatmeal (which I still won’t eat to this day) and dehydrated food for 4 days.  The views from the snow-capped mountains and of the multicolored canyons would not have been as mesmerizing if we just saw them in a picture and did not labor through the hours of hiking to reach those places.  The hot spring at the end of the journey would not have seemed so sweet if I could just access it from my backyard.  In life, we need both the peaks and the valleys.  The valleys are great because that is where our character, emotions, values, and beliefs are tested and it is also where the most growth takes place.  The peaks show us how our hard work has paid off. 

We cannot deny or escape the fact that life is going to be a journey of peaks and valleys.  We are going to have trials and tribulations and we are going to have victories. We are going to be tested physically and emotionally and we are going to experience periods of intense joy.  A true sign of growth and evolution of the soul is to be able to navigate the peaks and valleys with gratitude, grace, peace, and love.  It is to be able to detach from the outcomes and the location of the journey and live in the moment.  It is to be able to clear your heart from hate and the mind from anxiety and from a place of centeredness ask, “Where is the joy in this moment?  Where is the gift?” It is when we can be as grateful for the valleys as the peaks; when we can be patiently peaceful in the valleys and patiently joyful at the peaks that we begin to become a true master of our life.  It is something that may take years to master.  I know that I am only at the beginning of this process and you may be too, but we all need to start somewhere.  What better place than here, and what better place than now? 

Love,

Matt