She came as a surprise & surprises continue to follow her. Perhaps that’s why hiking has become our family pastime. The strenuous effort of navigating rocky, off-beat, lonely paths; of sweating it out, taking long breaks, bearing blistering heels & burning lungs. Of heavy packs & trail snacks. Well wishes for passers by. Noticing little things—seasons, wildlife, plant cycles, bugs. The need to be prepared for anything as much as possible—maps, first aid kits, lights, water, bug/bear spray, sun screen, clothing. Each of these seems to be a metaphor for our larger life story. And still the surprises keep coming, appearing suddenly & unexpectedly like the final destinations, the fantastic, panoramic, rewarding views on one of our family excursions.
We received such a surprise on the trail recently to Delicate Arch. The hike to Delicate Arch is ranked as “moderately challenging,” & takes us about an hour to travel the 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the arch. There’s a section of the trail that is quite steep & over slick rock with no shade. That section always makes my unathletic self tired & my lungs burn. I’ve seen a wide variety of people navigate the trail; some excelling & some truly struggling. Delicate Arch is one of the iconic draws to Arches National Park & is the arch featured on the UT license plate, so it’s no surprise that many want to see it.
As we approached the base of the slick rock pitch this time, we passed a family going the other way: a mom & dad, & their adult son with Down Syndrome. Seeing families like ours out hiking is rare, & I immediately stopped to say hi. We shared the typical conversation between T21 families: A “You? Us too!” kind of thing. We swapped the names & ages of our kids. I asked if their son had made it all the way to the arch. She assured me that he had with lots of breaks. As we turned to go, wishing each other well (on so much more than just a hike), I had tears in my eyes. Looking at Lydia in her carrier—50 lbs on Dan’s back—we’re running out of time with this method & we know it. But we look to others who have gone before & conquered mountains, & have faith that we will be able to in time, in our own way, as well.