The Real Climb

Sorry these pictures are wayyyyy out of order. :) I don't seem to be intelligent enough to order them correctly. :)

Now what? Oh, yeah, I guess I have to go down now. :)

From the top! What a view...

The bottom looking up.

Me at the bottom, before I have started my trek!

The trail that would kick my arse!

So happy driving.

I went climbing today. I nearly stopped, several times. But I made it to the top. Here is the story.

While on my short little road trip across Texas, I visited my friend Cortney in Vernon, Texas. Mapquest told me that it would take me home through the DFW area. That wouldn’t have been bad but I wasn’t quite ready to end my get-away. I decided I still needed a day – one that would just be for me.

So I did my Priceline magic and got a room for the night in Fredericksburg. I knew I loved the Hill country and that it was good for my soul. So after my hotel room was in place, I started looking at things around the area. And it hit me – Enchanted Rock.

I knew Enchanted Rock was near Fredericksburg and Llano. And as many times as I have made the trip to Llano with my good friends, we had never made the trip to Enchanted Rock. So I made up my mind. I was going to climb that sucker. I mean besides – I’m in good shape, it should be easy. I was a little mislead about just exactly how good of shape I am in.

So I left Vernon about 8:30 Monday morning and headed down through West Texas towards the Hill Country. I had frozen my water bottles the night before and bought sunscreen and a hat for the climb. I knew it would be hot but I was ready for that.

Then I arrived. I had seen pictures of Enchanted Rock. I knew that Summit Trail was just over a half of a mile with a climb of 650 to 800 feet. Yet, I really had no idea just how high that is and just how much it would hurt as I pushed my still 300 plus body up that granite hill.

I started off with a good pace. It was a slight climb. It was uneven and rocky but I felt that I had my footing pretty well in place. This is so like when I started losing weight. It was somewhat easy in the beginning. I still had the energy and the excitement of starting a new journey. My feelings in the beginning stages of the climb reminded me of those first couple weeks where I was losing large numbers easy week and was still really excited about the exercise and everything that came with it.

Then it got harder. The rock steps gave way to just smooth granite steep hills. I stood there today and wondered what I had gotten myself into. My body still felt ok – although it was taking longer for me to catch my breathe. I pride myself that I can recover after a crazy spinning song really fast. Well, a few hundred feet up – your body just doesn’t recover quite as well. Or so I learned.

But I took my time. I would pick a point and climb to it. This is what I have been doing for so long. I’ve been setting these little goals and busting my rear to get to them. I would have to keep reminding myself to look behind me – to see just what I had accomplished. I don’t do this enough in this journey. I get frustrated with the road ahead of me and if I would stop to look back a bit more I think some of that frustration would ease.

As I got higher and higher, it got steeper and harder for me. I watched people pass me barely out of breathe. It bothered me. I don’t want to be that girl anymore. I have worked so hard to NOT be that girl. And yet, there I was – 8 months later – 80 pounds lighter – in great shape – and hurting and struggling for breathe as I climbed the giant.

I sat down to respond to a text message that I had received. It was from my best friend. I told him I wanted to quit even though I was near the top of the mountain. I told him I was hurting. And I told him that I was tired of quitting when it got too hard.

I knew he would write me back and encourage me. But I actually didn’t need it. All I needed to see was that I DON’T want to quit in writing. I don’t want to be that girl who gives up so easy. So I stood and keep climbing. I got to the edge of the top plateau. It’s huge for those of you who haven’t been to Enchanted Rock. I didn’t walk the entire top. I just stood there. I caught my breathe (for a long time), took some pictures and took it all in.

I had no idea when I decided to visit Enchanted Rock that it would become such a monumental thing for me. I had no idea it would be so hard. I had no idea that those old habits of wanting to quit when it gets too hard would come racing back to me. But then did. And I dealt with it.

Despite my recent set back, maybe – just maybe – I have come a lot further than I thought. Maybe I do have what it takes inside of me. I still have lots of mountains to climb. But now I know – that at my own pace, with my willpower – I can make it to the top.

Yep, I can climb any mountain. Let the games begin.