A few weeks ago, I traveled to Argentina’s Patagonia to explore God’s creations: the mountains, lakes, lagunas, glaciers, and more. During my first day in the El Chalten area of Patagonia, my group and I embarked on a hike that would forever change my life. Yes, I’m being slightly dramatic, but the hike to such majestic views of Mouth Fitz Roy sincerely shifted my views on “embarking on a journey,” and the true essence of perseverance.
Prior to the hiking journey, I packed my backpack for a full day journey in the mountains of El Chalten. Believe me, this is not normal and was honestly the first time I embarked on such a journey—a 16 mile journey. From the onset of the journey, neither was I enthused nor was I depressed about the experience ahead. As a part of the international program I’m enrolled in, we traveled to the Patagonian region of Argentina to explore nature and explore the culture of this area.
Naturesque indeed, the journey rendered perspiration-galore and a gigantic test of perseverance. Nevertheless, the highlight of my journey was drinking the water from the streams that traveled from the glaciers—fresh mountain water. Others would note the view and challenging hike to Mout Fitz Roy as the highlight that they valued the most—nevertheless, drinking the water was definitely a highlight for me.
When it comes to different cultures, I’m learning that what you value may not be what others value—I admittedly noted that the hike wasn’t my particular cup of tea and that the value of the hike was minimal to me. I’m consistently learning that what we value, may not be what others value and that you have to let the value of your experiences enrich YOU! Let what you value and what you experience encourage you and enrich you.
The journey up to Mount Fitz Roy enriched me with several values to consider when embarking on a journey—whether it be towards a goal, a dream, or a destination. Things to know about a journey:
- May be long: The hike was exhaustively long for me
- You may not know about the highs and the lows: Unaware of the topography of the trek, on the journey, I was unaware of how high I had to climb nor did I know the length of the comfortable lows.
- You may not know the energy needed to reach the heights of your destinations: At one point of the trek, I contemplated quitting, as I did not know the amount of energy FOR ME that it would take to keep going
- You may be close to giving up: You have to know your strength and be willing to challenge your strength to reach a goal, but in this knowingness, you may want to give up.
- Don’t let the pressure of your “now” deter you from the proximity of your destination: Sometimes the hardest part of your journey is towards the end of your journey, with such, don’t give up until you reach your destination.
