"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'! " This quote had become my motto a few years ago when I left home for a two-week hiking trip in New Mexico. I was with a Boy Scout troop from my church, and we had been planning this trip for months. On this trip I encountered many trials, making me feel as if I would not be able to finish the hike, thinking it was impossible. I fought the entire time, but I made it through, proving that I was possible.
Before we left our church in Illinois, my Scoutmaster called me up and told me that I was going to be a Crew Leader. I was going to be in charge of one of the groups that was going out. This was unexpected for me, because I was not even a part of the Troop that was going, I was just tagging along as the only member of my Troop. I accepted the position and spent the entire thirty-hour train ride planning. I knew this was going to be hard, I knew that this was going to be a new experience, but I was ready. By the time we arrived in New Mexico I knew everyone in my crew, and I knew every activity that we would be doing over the next two weeks. I was ready to go.
Our train arrived at the station and we all grabbed our gear and got off. The change in the air was unexpected as none of us could breathe right away. We were now seventeen-thousand feet in the air, higher than what we were used to. I had the hardest time of all since I was the only one who had never traveled before. We waited at the train station for three hours for our bus. Finally, the bus arrived and took us to the camp at the beginning of the trail. We stayed at the trail for a night in order to get used to the mountain air. It was a restless night for me, but I was still excited.
The next morning we got all of our gear, including our food, and started off on the trail. The first two days we had a guide with us, but on day three, he left us on our own, knowing that we could take care of ourselves.
I was with a Boy Scout troop from my church, and we had been planning this trip for months. ... We stayed at the trail for a night in order to get used to the mountain air. ... I fought through, made it to the end, and I was able to stand with my crew at the closing campfire, showing I was able to complete the adventure. ...
Only a handful of backpackers get to experience this incredible adventure each year due to expense and the length of time needed to complete the trail. ... Sometimes, it is groups of boy scouts that backpacking brings together, and other times, it is a father and son making up for lost time. ... Most people still enjoy to go walking though, what hiking essentially is, whether it is in their neighborhood or in the Great Smoky Mountains. ... This chance adventure enabled me to meet backpackers from all over the East Coast. ...
Think back to when sports were just plain fun and you could play all day, and you were good at every game, too. You were 10. It still sounds the same out there on the field.... Hey, batter, batter.... It's still fun, and when it's muddy, it's even more fun. Fun and funner -- that's all sports had...