Walking is never easy

Have always thought that the simplest exercise to do is walking. Eversince i started to trek and hike, the definition of 'walking' is no longer a simple term of lifting your feet and taking a step forward. The strenous hike i ever did was in Nepal back in 2006, then comes the 12mile hike to Colorado river in Grand Canyon. Some friends told me that they are satisfied with just 'seeing' the scenery at the lookout points. For me, the more hikes i did, the more i want to get to see the 'best' scenes or artifacts or monument there is at the end of the 'road'.

If i had not pressed on to the Delicate arch in the Arches National park, i would have just be satisfied with a lookout point of the 'teeny-weeny' sight of the arch way off on the mountain. Then again, the trail is really not suited for the weak hearted or the 'non-walker'. Now that i have reached and even walked underneath this arch, all the panting and huffing of the 4.8km trail is really worth it, plus not forgetting the slip on the frozen snow path at the switchbacks and fear of falling off the cliff. Mother nature is created in such a way that it seems we need to work for it in order to get the ultimate glimpse, as in the case of me doing the crazy hike in Grand Canyon just to touch the Colorado river and to stand under the Delicate arch.

To quench my thirst for seeing more in a different view from the usual travellers seems to be never ending now. At times, a part of me wished that i have consented to extend teaching in US for 2 years instead of one but i know i need to move on. This world is never enough...