Barefoot Peak

We sure use our poor little feet a lot don't we?

Just returned home from our Thanksgiving trip. We had a great time relaxing, bonding with friends, and adventuring! Marc and I hiked the Na Pali coast on the Kalalau trail, an 11 mile cliff edge trail to one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen. (And I've seen some pretty amazing beaches!) The Hawaiian culture talks about mana, a force or quality present in the world and the island of Kauai is considered a very spiritual place among the islands. For me, it wasn't so much the beach alone as the whole place together. The valley, the cliffs, the peaks, and the beach together. Witnessing a tucked away waterfall 800 ft tall, the remains of terraces from the ancient Hawaiians, and the power of the ocean in November.The lush green of the valley next to the deep blue of the ocean took my breath away. (So did the parts of the trail that led me inches from the edge of a cliff hundreds of feet above powerful waves!)

During our hike we were talking about how we love hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering because of the hard work that we put in to receive the gift of the views and the beauty. We have often stepped on ground that very few others have the opportunity to see. We feel as though our physical effort is our payment for the gift, though I still feel undeserving. Nature has the ability to humble me on even my most narcissistic days! As my little feet got blisters about mile 19 of our 22 miles, I probably was not feeling as poetic about it as I am now. However, it is quite humbling to be a little girl surrounded by rugged terrain and indescribable beauty.

Not that everyone should take on adventures such as a 22 mile hike; not everyone could, should, or would want to, but there is something to be said about using our bodies and minds. There is something about effort, determination, the literal or figurative climb. 

"Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?"

-Fulton J. Sheen (Archbishop)