Monday, November 14, 2011

Bishop's Peak

Courtesy of  www.hikepseak.com
Hiking has always been one of my favorite stress relievers. Last week, I spent a lot of time in an office at a computer working on a budget. My soul was feeling stressed and couped up. I needed to get outside and challenge myself and I figured hiking would do the trick. I live a beautiful area with many readily available outdoor activities. In fact, when I looked up hiking trails, I was overwhelmed by the choices.

I decided on the highest of the "nine sisters", Bishop's Peak. The Nine Sisters are a chain of volcanic plugs beginning at Morro Rock and stretching through San Luis Obispo County. Bishop's Peak is the tallest at 1546'. The trail is about 3.5 miles and there are some boulders to climb to reach the very top. 

At the beginning of the hike, I could not believe how winded I became. My fellow hiker commented that she was feeling it too. We trekked along, stopping to admire some of the amazing views. At the top, we climbed the few boulders to be able to stand on top to receive the full view of ocean to valleys. I could make out 5 of the nine sisters and saw Cal Poly, SLO for the first time. 

Hiking always reminds me of how hard work and determination pays off at the end. I wanted to turn around a couple times out of fatigue, but then I would have missed the view and the feeling of accomplishment of climbing the large boulders to get to the top. There are so many times that life is like those boulders. I was feeling that way last week, discouraged, stressed and ready to give up. However, I kept my nose to the grindstone, finished the job I was asked to do and moved forward. I know not everything in life is easy, but sometimes challenges seem too much to handle. This hike was just what I needed to encourage me to keep looking up and moving forward.