Surrender Below the Summit

The first time I hiked the Little Devil’s Tower trail in Custer State Park, South Dakota, I didn’t think I was going to make it to the top. I had just taken a plane from the flat lands of Chicago to an elevation of over 6,000 feet and was going to gain another 750 feet from the trailhead. I did it, but not without a good measure of huffing, puffing and whining.

This time I know what to expect and am prepared.

The hike begins simply enough, along a level field. I notice a birch tree has been seared by lightning and survived—a good sign.

The incline is gradual at first. Autumn-colored leaves give me a feeling of buoyancy and joy.

But then the trail becomes steeper. Birches are now growing from cracks in the rocks.

It’s hot, too, and soon there aren’t any more trees to provide much-needed shade.

I can feel my body temperature rising and gulp my rationed water. My husband is assigning me a number from zero to ten to let me know how red my face is; I’m a solid eight.

I have to rest, especially before the last leg, which entails scrambling upwards through a narrow crevasse of solid rock. I’m leaning into a split boulder to eke out an iota of shade, panting like a canine, aware that my feared nemesis, the ant, is crawling on me with all of its friends, and Rob is saying: nine.

I surrender. I accept that I am not who I was twenty-some years ago when I first hiked this trail. But then I remember it was never easy. I’ve always lived near sea level and it is always an adjustment for me to hike in mountains.

That revelation does it – allows me to continue to the summit – where I see everything from a broader perspective.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my most recent daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.