Coming into focus

Since this blog is about the view, there must be mention of the work you sometimes have to do to get to ‘the view’.

The hike to the Twin Arches at Big South Park is a fantastic trek that many of my friends and I have taken several times and still love. There’s this magical place in the park called Charit Creek, a place that I can credit for many phenomenal memories. It’s one of my favorite places to unplug and I daresay is responsible for getting my groove back at a time in my life when there was no groove at all.

Normally the trail from Charit Creek to Twin Arches is a little over a mile, but all uphill. On my last venture there, my group hiked at an exceptionally fast pace (4.9 mph uphill…are you kidding me?). Then we even took a wrong turn, flew right past the Arches and when we realized the mistake, turned around and went back down a long flight of stairs we’d climbed as part of the wrong turn.

Finally, we found the correct steps, and on tired legs started the short ascent. It was physically short but felt quite long after the fast pace and extra mileage. Being a little too inactive lately, I could really feel the burn. And sweat… ohmygoodness, the sweat. My back was soaked, my pants showed it. Even my knees were sweating.

My legs were straining, lungs were working overtime and my heart was pounding those excellent extra beats you feel throughout your chest when you know your body is being worked. With each and every step, the view I’d come to see slowly came into clearer focus. The view from atop a natural arch carved out over hundreds of years is nothing short of miraculous. Miles and miles of green and gold canopy spread in every direction. What lay beneath their majesty is unknown to me.

But at that moment, that magnificent moment, my soul relaxed. There, my heart knows I am but a speck in God’s wonderful universe. He is perfection in artistry. The glory and splendor a view like that reveals make every single step seem a tiny price to pay to witness some of His best handiwork.