This Memorial Day weekend was a good one. It was filled with my family, some friends, and lots of time outdoors. The highlight though had to be the 'short hike' we had decided on for Sunday afternoon.
The trailhead map showed a simple 2.8 mile hike to Lake Blanche located at the top of the Wasatch mountains nestled below Sundial Peak. The weather was perfect, we had the right gear, and a few snacks to get us through. It turns out it was an aggressive 2.8 miles!
We began the ascent and marveled at the beauty of the Wasatch mountains. We had a lot of snowfall this past winter and the creek was raging with spring run off. Truly, it looked like a postcard!
I was excited to be outdoors with my wife and our three boys aged between 11-16 who had ample energy.
As time has passed, the chorus of motivation has swung almost 180 degrees in our family. It was not too long ago that I was pushing the boys to keep going and to move a little faster. All of a sudden, it is now me who is the recipient of such motivational gestures! I certainly was not the slowest hiker on the mountain but it was evident the three boys took great joy in staying a few steps of dad on the trail.
On one hand, I could be disappointed that these boys are now a little faster at hiking than I am but I am not. I could not be more thrilled at the prospect of the lessons of positive motivation and not giving up has rubbed off on them and they now gently apply it to 'The Old Man' as they so lovingly refer to me and my balding pate.
I slowly but surely trudged upwards to the base of Sundial Peak and gladly accepted the ribbing the boys directed at me each time I caught up with them at a rest point. I couldn't help but notice their wry smiles that oozed with pride at their newfound ability to stay just ahead of me. For a brief moment I thought about it but in the end I chose not to use the 10 miles of mountain biking I had completed the day before as any sort of excuse or dismissal of their triumph. I found myself just smiling, wiping the sweat from my brow, and quietly accepting our new dynamic. Now, I was leading the pack, from the back.
