A Little Over a Year Ago...

...I was out of breath, my quads were on the brink of giving out, my lungs were exploding and I honestly felt like I was going to die.

I looked up at the rocky mountain I was climbing. I looked down at the snow and rocks, the narrow path that had just cost me everything I had. My brothers gave me some advice "It's optional going up, but going down is mandatory." Then I heard these words "Anna, you didn't come all this way to turn around without reaching the top..."

I gathered every ounce of strength I could muster, and shouted "I'm not giving up! Let's GO!"

Every.step.hurt. I felt like crawling into a crevasse and sleeping. forever. But no. My brothers were waiting, ready to press upward. I couldn't let them down. I didn't sit in a jam-packed car, drive all across the flat Nebraska to Colorado and spend countless dollars on gear and supplies to just turn around.

I willed my body forward.

Every thought concentrated on the next step.

And then it happened. I reached the top. of the WORLD. {or so it felt to me}

All my weariness fled. An unexpressable sense of joy welled within me and escaped my mouth in a shrill scream! And I wasn't the only one. My brother did his victory dance on the top of the mountain. The air resounded with shouts of triumph.

That moment on top of the mountain - it's a moment I will never forget.