Thursday, December 3, 2015

Climbing Mountains


What a beautiful view. I took this picture during a particularly warm spell in the middle of March, 2015. The view is from the top of the mountain that I live on, Miami Mountain, and overlooks the town that I grew up in, Black Mountain, NC. To the left, I-40 West heads into Asheville, while I-40 heads out east towards Old Fort to the right.

This photo means a lot to me. It is taken on top of the mountain that I grew up on. I explored and learned this mountain like the back of my hand for ten years. I spent many peaceful days blazing my own trails, countless difficult days building survival shelters, multiple exciting days exploring with friends, but never doing anything bad, and numerous relaxing days sleeping in a hammock. All of this on my mountain. An endless amount of memories come to mind when thinking of my mountain. Some great, such as the times that my dad and I would take my dog for a walk on a mile loop around the mountain. Others not so great, like the time I ran screaming down the mountain after my dog sniffed a yellow jackets nest with me standing right beside it. The memories could go on and on. Whenever I needed to get away I could walk to the top of the mountain with my Camelbak backpack on my back, loaded with water, a hammock, hammock straps, and two Fiber One Oats and Chocolate granola bars. I would spend hours just laying in my hammock de-stressing and thinking about how blessed I was to be living the life I lived. This mountain was the part of my childhood that I called home.

This mountain also overlooks the town that I love and grew up in. The town of Black Mountain is not much bigger than what you can see in the picture. It's small and that's the way I like it. I attended primary school just a mile east of the town, elementary school across the street from the primary school, middle school a few miles west down US Highway 70, and high school a mile from the middle school. All I knew about the town in primary school was that my friends and I lived and played little league baseball in it. I learned in elementary school that Super Bowl MVP winning quarterback, Brad Johnson, used to live in it. My fellow football teammates and I took the town by storm my 8th grade by going undefeated and winning the conference championship for the first time in 10 years. By the time high school rolled around I knew everyone and their mommas, where they lived, and who they dated. The same team that went undefeated in the 8th grade, had conference championship expectations and state title aspirations going into our senior year. Being in my third year of starting quarterback, I could not walk out the door without seeing someone I knew, or someone knowing who I was. I answered many questions before and during the season about how good our team could be. Turns out we were pretty darn good. We finished 12-1 as conference champions, beating our bigger crosstown rival whom we hadn't beaten in eight years. I was sad to graduate high school and leave my hometown because it had treated me so well for so long, but excited to explore new opportunities.

So here I sit. A 19 year old at a large college in a city without any mountains. In a week and a half I will be back home, just having completed my first semester of college. How do I want to feel on the drive home? Awake, to say the least. Exams week is not a week to catch up on any sleep. My destination will be a mountain, but I hope to already be on a mountain. I view each semester in college as climbing a mountain. Starting at the base of the mountain and staring up, and the beginning of a long semester, can both be daunting tasks. But as long as you stay on the trail, you will eventually find the top. It is very easy in both college and hiking a mountain to veer off course. If a hiker veers off the trail too far, he may not be able to find the trail again, ultimately becoming lost. However, it is good to explore a short distance off the trail to make the hike interesting. College also provides many distractions for students. It is good to get away from school and have fun, but fall too far behind in work, and it may be impossible to catch up and finish the semester. Right now, I am rounding the bend and have the top of the mountain in sight. Relaxation and a sense of accomplishment are only a few steps away. Final exams are this upcoming week. I ultimately hope to feel like I am on top of my mountain when I fill in my last bubble. I hope to be able to look down the mountain and into the valley and be proud of what I have accomplished. I hope to be able to look on the mountain and remember all of the memories, good and bad, that I experienced this semester. I've almost completed my hike and I cannot wait until I have reached the top. I'm just a small town kid climbing my own mountains in the big city.

1 comment:

  1. Great post! Like you, I love Black Mountain,mainly because I have to pass through it to get to my Spiritual Home, Montreat. Black Mountain also reminds me of the mountain town I live in, Dahlonega, GA. Looking forward to getting back to your town in January for the Montreat College Conference, 2-5 January. Hope our paths will cross.

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