Sunrise hike

Direct and clear: Hiking a volcano should be considered a spiritual experience close to meditation, introspection, or even pilgrimage. Give me two minutes, and open your mind.

You won’t remember the hours you spent with friends and strangers during the night. In silence, you will trust a guide and the invisible path; they will take you to the summit or the so-called promised land. You also won’t remember the pain that your body had, the slithering into your hands and bones, or your mind wandering where else to stop. But tell me, Steven, what is this suffering for?

You will never forget looking at the sun climbing the clouds, looking at the sky with a smile, and feeling happiness as warmth once again fills your heart. You will realize that the night is over, and that the landscape that just appeared for your now-tired eyes is just the new adventure about to start. This image will stay in your head, and trust me, it will never fade away.

So, dear reader, give yourself a chance. Let go of all the extra weight on the way up; there is no use to it during the hike. Enjoy flying tired on the way back, and convince a friend that doing a summit together, at least once, is a perfect plan.