I took a trip to Keystone Colorado the spring break of my eighth grade year. At Keystone they offer night skiing every night, but the only lift to the top of the mountain open is the gondola. My friend and I decided to check it out one night and when we got there the line went all the way from the snow to the end of the parking lot. We were faced with making the decision to either wait in the line or try to hike halfway up the mountain and catch a ride at the next loading station. From where we were standing the hike didn’t look too bad, but we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We started hiking and the first twenty minutes weren’t too bad until we got to the steep, powdery moguls. At that point our legs were knee deep in snow with each step and that’s when the fatigue started setting in. Once we were about an hour into the hike, I was completely out of breath and my legs were starting to feel like jello. We contemplated strapping into our boards and just riding down to the base, but then I thought to myself I’ve already hiked for an hour and I’m half way up this mountain, there’s no way I’m giving up now. Then I got up and decided to just keep my feet moving and to stop thinking about how exhausted I was. After doing this for another 30 minutes I looked back and saw that my friend was right behind me the whole time, which pushed me to keep going and not let him down. Once we finally got to the mid-way loading point we hitched a ride on a gondola car filled with supplies and finally made it to the top. When we got to the top we were exhausted and immediately went to the cabin and layer down until closing time. This experience made my friend and I a lot closer because we had each other’s back and pushed each other to keep going when we thought it was impossible to go any further. I believe that getting up and keeping on hiking when we thought we were done made a huge difference because it showed us that perseverance and keeping on the right path when faced with adversity is the way to overcome it. Another important aspect was following through because saying I was going to keep going is a lot easier than actually doing it, and a leader has to have the discipline to follow through with his commitments. Also, confidence played a key role in our success because if we didn’t believe that we could make it, we would have quit at the halfway point. Lastly, having a strong community, or in this case friend, was probably the most significant factor in this whole situation. If my friend wasn’t with me, I wouldn’t have even gotten close to making it because he was my driving force because I didn’t want to disappoint him as he didn’t want to disappoint me. Even though this was one of the most grueling and exhausting things I’ve ever done, I’m glad I did it and never gave up.
Jacob I thought your leadership action was clearly shown. Your friend wanted to go back down beause he was tired and already had given up and thought he could go no longer. You Jacob, on the other hand, said to yourself that you wouldn't give up na dkept going. This showed perservearance and persistence. You showed guidance by walking up the rest of the mountain with your exhausted, and quiting friend. Your friend and you both made it through together by keeping your cool and not panicing by not being able to finish.
ReplyDeleteJacob, this is a great story. I am able to relate, to a degree, because I had standing in lines myself! Patience is not one of my enduring strengths! Still, even I would have checked myself after an hour of hiking and wondered whether keeping going was worth it. The other reason I like your story is that it takes leadership, or our discussion of it, into a very different forum. We are not talking about a titled position or even leadership of a group, but how at times we need to lead OURSELVES and lead within a relationship with one other person. Make no mistake, much of what we talk about in class this trimester will be applicable to out relationships with others and the very way we choose our words and actions when no one is looking matters. Nice start!
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