Take me home, mountain road
By Felice Chan
It was a humid summer afternoon, and we were about to begin our Map Reading Hike. Already, the 8 of us felt spiritless as the morning lecture had drained all the energy out from our tired souls. Furthermore, the brief stroll under the flaming sun left us tired and unmotivated.
“Finally!” Alexei, the person leading at the time, breathed heavily as we found the beginning steps of the hike.
As I gazed at the seemingly never ending steps ahead of us, little did I know that it would be the start of a great adventure.
Petra and I were in charge of leading the hike from the start to the first checkpoint. I felt fairly confident as Petra has always been competent and reliable.
But while we climbed the steep steps, the road gradually became murkier. Slowly yet evidently, there was no road at all. As the person opening the trail, it was hard to balance between speed and stability, as I always seemed to be “walking” too fast, if not, I was constantly tripping on the slippery rocks that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Gradually, it got to the state where we questioned our choices.
“Petra, do you think we are going the right path?” I asked, as a tree branch slapped me across the cheek.
“Honestly, no.”
We both laughed, confused as we stopped and waited for the others to arrive. It was a lovely spot, with a canopy of leaves and branches to shade us from the sun, and a cool breeze blowing from numerous directions.
There was a little opening between the branches and we gazed at the breathtaking view below us.
As the other people slowly arrived, we sat on the muddy ground and discussed where we might have gone wrong. We analyzed the map once again, and with the help of our peers, we decided that we were going the right way.
Tripping and falling over ourselves,
We climbed,
And climbed,
And climbed...
Because it had rained the day before, the ground was muddy and slippery, hence we grabbed onto the branches and leaves around us in order to balance.
It took endless grueling hours of climbing, slipping, and getting back onto our feet until I saw something from the corner of my eye.
Is that concrete?
Hastily grasping and pushing away the branches ahead of me, I had a closer look at the path ahead. “I think we’re here!” I shouted with excitement.
“Oh my gosh!”
We all (to the best of our abilities) “ran” up the steep, rock strewn road as we cried out in happiness that we had finally found flat ground.
The 8 of us chuckled side by side as we looked at the “path” we had ascended from. If we were a regular hiker walking down the concrete path, we would never have guessed that the microscopic gap between the trees was a concealed road that one was meant to hike on.
“Who’s leading next?”
We looked at one another, not daring to raise our hand considering the labouris, steep path before us.
Suddenly, a shrill voice reverberated through the air. “I will!” Cate declared, shooting up her arm confidently.
“Why-” Ambrose, Cate’s partner, stared as he shook his head furiously, in disbelief of what had happened.
“It’ll be fine,”Cate smiled, “There is no elevation in this path, it’ll be a breeze.”
And she was right! As we strolled across the flat trail, we played music, singing to our hearts content.
“Take me home, country road
To the place, I belong…”
It was a wondrous experience as we chatted, bonded, and laughed together as we continuously hiked along the relentless path.
It took hours of walking, paired with chatter and singing until we reached the next checkpoint.
At some point during the hike, Amanda and Tanya took over the leading role. As we followed behind them, we reached a junction. The roads were identical, with awning trees glooming over the rugged footpath.
Without thinking twice, we all ambled along either one of the paths. Gossip and chatter echoed through the air, as we thoughtlessly dawdled.
We walked,
And walked,
And walked,
And walked…
Until we couldn’t walk anymore.
We walked until the light from the sun was gradually dimming, and the sky became gradients of amber., until a luminous moon nestled above the horizon, with dazzling stars littered across the hemisphere. until we decided to check the map.
“Crap, we went the wrong way.”
Disappointment and confusion filled the air. We gawked at each other, our eyes glaring white. Feeling disheartened, negative thoughts rippled through my mind.
Is it too late to go back?
How much longer do we have to go?
…
Will we ever arrive?
As these questions were silently communicated with short glances and heavy sighs, a sudden optimistic thought collectively flew into our minds.
“We already got this far, we can do this!”
With a newfound motivation, we looked at the spiraling path ahead of us with faith that we will make it. Our slow paced walking gradually became a jog, which sooner became a sprint as we ran as fast as we could.
Again, we started singing.
“Take me home, country road
To the place, I belong,
West virginia, Mountain mama,
Take me home, country road…”
Laughing and stumbling over ourselves, we saw a sight we will never forget: light.
It was just a small lamppost, dangling above our heads with a feeble canary glow. But as we ran towards the light ahead of us, one lamppost after another appeared. Soon, we found ourselves standing in the middle of a well lit street, surrounded by light.
The 8 of us grinned at each other, proud that we had made it so far, and been with each other for every step of the way.
“We’re home!”