Switchbacks

Life is dotted with switchbacks...and maybe they are here to help. 

A few years ago I had the opportunity to explore some of the wonderful National Parks of the United States. On the itinerary was a few days in Utah, hiking in Zion National Park.  I was SO excited!  Zion is an amazing place to be - from high cliffs to wooded back trails to beautiful winding waterways - nature is on full display here.  

Going in, I was curious and energized as guides explained to us the varying difficulty levels of the hikes we could choose from.  I was feeling rested and ambitious, so I didn't shy away from effort that day, and off we went.  It was going to be a long trek to the "plateau" where we could access the famous Angels Landing.  

The walk started off easy enough, but before too long I encountered twists and turns in the trail: switchbacks.  Looking in front of me, I could see that the trail winding back and forth to accommodate a smaller incline was useful, because I sure could not have climbed up that trail any other way.  At the time, though, I started to get weary and even annoyed at the back and forth of it.  I think I counted 24 turns that eventually led me up to a spot where I could survey the expanse below.  I remember thinking, "is there no other way?!"; "who thought of this?!; "WHY with the back and forth and back and forth, let's just GET there!". 

After that part of the trail I plowed on ahead, through what they call the "refrigerator".  It's so named because this piece of trail doesn't get sun exposure, so it's a cool patch that was refreshing for sure! Eventually, I made it up to the resting place - tired, but happy.  I looked left to the landing and right to the calm, wooded path - guess which one I took?!  The calm, wooded one.  Though the Landing did look incredible, I just didn't want to risk it that day, so while the group all lined up for the cliff walk, I explored the back end of the area by myself for a few hours. Peace and quiet and I stayed alive.  A win in my book.

Anyway, here I am years later, walking along the river by my apartment after a particularly long day/week/month and the picture of the switchback popped into my mind.

At the time, trudging up the hike, I was borderline resentful of the trail choice.  It was hard and monotonous at times and didn't seem helpful.  Looking back at the full hike though, and many since, I can now appreciate that a switchback is a genius way to get through challenging terrain.  In fact, sometimes, the only way to continue to move forward is to get creative and employ a switchback.  

If life is a hike, switchbacks are a necessary navigational choice.  There may be times you don't know you're on one, and only realize it when you've had a chance to get to that plateau and survey the scene.  Other times, you may be at the bottom of a steep climb and can consciously choose to move forward in a way that minimizes effort and maximizes the chances of success.  See what I mean?

Lately, I've felt a bit tugged around, as I did when I was on that walk.  And I thought - maybe all of this tugging is for a reason.  Maybe what's happening is that I'm just on a switchback - climbing up to a higher destination, having to employ patience, steadiness and a little perspective as I go.  

And that's OK.  In fact, maybe it's more than OK. Maybe it's the best path forward.