This was the most challenging hike I have yet done. It was just over 15 miles with about 4640’ of elevation gain which isn’t to bad. The hard part is the altitude at which you are hiking. About two-thirds of the way up I started having difficulty breathing due to altitude sickness and I was having to make frequent stops. I didn’t give up, even when it was so hard to simply put one foot in front of the other and I finally made it to the top thanks to the help and support of my friends. People talk about failure and say that it doesn’t happen until you stop and turn around and that was something I contemplated several times when I was sitting there unable to catch my breath. It took courage for me to continue on but it also took wisdom, wisdom to know when it was time to stop and turn around. Thankfully for me that moment didn’t arrive and I made it to the top. Sometimes though it is better to be wise than courageous. The wise person can fail today but come back tomorrow and succeed. The wise person knows that failure is just another chance to succeed. And it takes more courage to try a second time than to continue the first.