ief navigational error from a missed turn, the starting point ofour journey came upon us. The sun had just climbed over the first huge hill and its brilliantrays shone upon us as we set off on our journey. Nearby, a river flowed with ice chunks,its banks heavily swollen with snow. The day seemed to have cleared up for us. God hadswept away the clouds and light snow showers and delivered an unexpectedly mildclimate. We began our journey to the top of the first revine of earth with tremendousexcitement and eagerness-- unbeknown to us the difficulties that would beset our tired andout of shape bodies. Off the beaten trail we encountered one of the most spectacularscenes of nature I've ever seen. A lake in the distance was a mere pond, houses were smallpellets of wood, and the nearest city was dwarfed in comparison to the vast acres ofwoods. Alone, atop a snowy almost like mountain, we each stood on the edge andabsorbed the awesome sight before us. I had evolved from the same primordial soup as thelandscape I saw before me, but now I felt like a stranger just passing through an exoticterrain. Continuing over peaks and valleys for hours we continued on, hopeful of reachingthe midway point before the dangers of dusk covered us in a thick blanket of darkness.The trail soon devolved into a creek of unending runoff from the imposing mounds ofsnow and ice around us. For over a mile we hiked, hoping to get back to easier terrain thatwould be more comfortable to our strained muscles and sore feet. Finally, exhausted, wet,and fatigued from a strenuous adventure outside our comfortable confines of suburbia, wedecided to halt before the sun retired for the evening. Quickly delegating different roles toestablish camp, our cooperation was a result of the loyalty and dependence of each womanto do her job for the survival of the group. The seven years of friendship we four share isas deep and trusting as any I've ever known. We placed our reputation, fort...
