The Journey to Serene Lake

Yesterday, I took a hike up to Serene Lake, here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest...which was pretty much a reflection of my life...and I'd love to share it with you...

Just like in life...I was not fully prepared for this adventure.

I'm a huge fan of hiking, but since living in south Florida, it's the "salt life"...since the tallest "hill" in the area is the trash compost. Haha. Secondly, I only own one light weight jacket, which I failed to bring with me on this trip (for some unknown reason). I had given my stocking cap away to a homeless lady the day before...and my hiking "boots" were the ever useful Samba Classics! So, as you can see, preparedness was tossed out the window.

With that being said, I did pack a little food and some drinks in a backpack. I also stopped by the local Goodwill and picked up a new coat and hat.

The drive to get there was an hour long...a beautiful drive. Once I arrived at the starting point, it was already raining (though, I guess it never really stopped). I threw on my cool new lightweight jacket and warm stocking cap and set off on the trail...

It was beautiful!

The trees were covered in a green moss that created a type of magic. The forest was dense and I remember friends telling me "Don't leave the path. We may never find you again." There were several rolling brooks and a couple areas that were more difficult to climb than others. In total, I'd be climbing up 2000 feet and about 10 miles round trip. The highest point would be around 2521 feet. The ultimate goal was to reach the beautiful "Serene Lake" at the peak of the mountain. Along the way there's also the majestic glory of Bridal Veil Falls! Worth the trip all by itself!

I remember passing people coming down, as I was headed up. "How was it?", I'd ask. The answers were as expected, "Beautiful, amazing, awesome", and so on. There were a couple of girls that I met in the parking lot that headed off a little before I did, but in time, I caught up with them and we had the opportunity to share part of the road and adventure.

Keep in mind, it has not stopped raining and, in fact, seems to be getting heavier, the higher we climbed.

...And then sleet...

Yup, the rain turned to sleet for a little while, before deciding we'd had enough and gifted us with rain again. After an hour or so, we made it to Bridal Veil Falls...and it was far more beautiful than words can describe. I remember whispering to myself, in awe of this natural beauty. I took a picture of the two girls in front of the falls and then headed off saying, "I'll see you at the next set of falls!"...but, I didn't. That was the end of their journey before turning around...and the last I would see of them. From this point forward...I was back to being on my own again.

So, alone again, I started up the most difficult part of the trail. Scaling cliffs and crossing treacherous rapids...rain steadily getting heavier. There were at least 3 times were I stopped and second guessed my decision to continue. One time I even went back down the mountain, saying "Nope, no more, I have no idea where I am. I have no idea how much further I need to go. I'm soaked from head to toe. I'm exhausted. This is foolish of me."

But then, I would gather myself, believe in myself, and push on.

As I got closer to the top...SNOW! Yup, good ol snow. At this point I had to turn around, right? I mean, the path is gone...the snow is melting. At any point, I could step into a patch of snow that had softened from the rain and fall to my death...or into a river...or simply break a leg or something.
Believe me...I sat there at the precipice of my goal...thoroughly questioning my motives and weather conditions...but I did not turn around. There was no one around to help me if something went wrong...I was alone...not even cell phone service. I remember thinking to myself, "Do not give up...do not give up...do not give up."

Delicately walking through the snow, the obstacles continued to grow. I fell several times, caught myself, and got back up. At my strongest moment of despair, there was a sign..."Welcome to Serene Lake".

It was absolutely magical. I mean, that type of real magic. The kind that makes us believe in fairies, leprechauns, dragons. The type of magic the renews the soul, invigorates love, and gives a reminder of how beautiful life really is. The type of magic the allows us to see the connection in all things.
...but now it was time for the climb back down...as I was only halfway done with my journey. And I remember thinking, "Well, just let me get outta this snow, then the rest will be all downhill. Well, I'm outta the snow, but let me see the waterfalls, then I'll be closer to the car. Cool, made it past the waterfall, almost there." The point is, my gratitude grew for each part of the journey. And I'd never been happier to get into my car, strip down, and blast the heat!

So how does this relate to my life?

Well, let me put it simply. Life starts out beautiful. We will pass wonderful people in life. Some will just be a passing...and others will stay for a moment. There will always be obstacles to navigate through. But most of the time...we'll be on our own. It's up to us to believe in ourselves...to pick ourselves up...and navigate. I remember asking myself, "Am I willing to die for this?" And my answer was "YES!" Yes, I'm willing to die for life. Truly living, being brave, loving each breath, showing gratitude for every moment...this is life. After all the trials of the journey, toward the tail end, soaking wet from head to toe, realizing the only reason for clothes at this point...was to protect from the rocks and branches...I looked down to see the water flowing downhill...and I laughed..."Be like water.", I thought. Just flow with life...