Last weekend I went on a hike to the summit of Mt. Pamitinan in Rodriguez, Rizal with a group of friends. Mt. Pamitinan is 426 meters above sea level. It has a rocky slope, so it wasn’t the easiest of climbs, at least for the not so experienced hikers like ourselves. Needless to say it exhausted  us.

There were three peaks along the way, all picturesque. We could have already stopped at any of those points, and we would have had our fill of beauty and captured moments. However, every mountain has a summit and climbers always want to reach it. So we kept on, and eventually reached the top.

As we hiked that day, a few thoughts came to mind.

There’s always a second best. As I mentioned, we passed three “peaks” along the way. We got good photos and amazing views when we passed those “peaks” on the way to the summit. Yet, the view and the experience of the summit is so far off from what we could have settled for. Had we given up and settled, we wouldn’t have experienced what we did.

Find time to rest and savor it. We could have  done the hike a little faster, if we lessened our stops for rest. Yet, those stops brought a lot of good fun and great photos. Besides, without the rest, we may also not have made it to the top. Life brings us seasons when there’s too much and seasons when there’s not as much. Either way, we need to learn to stop and take it easy, or just savor the rest we have, because out of it can come great things.

Step back (or step out) for perspective. For all of us on that hike, it was a busy week, and a packed season. We could have just called off the hike because of everything we had on our plate. Yet, stepping out of the city gave each one of us a different perspective. A back to nature trip reminded us of God’s sovereignty over everything in life, and that ultimately, He holds our lives in His hands. When days get busy and it gets overwhelming, when we’re feeling stumped, try stepping back for perspective, or if time permits, step out. You will see a different view than from where you were.

Enjoy life with friends. The hike was great and the summit awesome. However, I’m not sure the experience would have been the same had I done it on my own. I may have made it faster or hiked more leisurely, or just simply picked my own pace. I could have decided to just leave my companions and gone ahead of them (though I doubt I could have succeeded with that). Yet, part of the joy of reaching the top is reaching it with others, never on your own. While waiting for our turn for photo-op at the summit, we enjoyed a meal together, posed for a boomerang video, and a variety of other photos. I did fun things I would not have had the guts to do on my own. Yes, my co-hikers made the experience doubly fun for me, and life is also best lived with others around you.

Hiking, trekking, climbing mountains are things that’s not too easy to do. Yet, it brings so much return, I’d definitely do it again.