Here's to the future.

I remember waking up on the final morning of our hike and it was just above freezing outside. Some may find this kind of weather unpredictable for the stereotypical heat that New Mexico presents, alas, I was in pants and a jacket with my hat and mittens on. We would start the final hike in the dark before the sun would come up. We would hike down the mountain and see base camp in clear veiw, getting bigger and bigger with each pass, but each pass felt longer than the last one. When the gate into camp came into clear view, I couldn't help but sprint full-speed toward it, regardless of the 50+ lbs I might have been carrying on my back (it wasn't that much, as most of the food was gone by the final day). We were done, and we had done it successfully. 16 days of no outside communication. No running water (besides the river). No showers. No bathrooms. No television, ipod, radio, newspaper, computer, or anything of the sort. Lying on a thick mattress on a wire cot that night felt like the best broke-in bed in Jordan's Furniture. The point? Perserverence and success. Any one of us could have quit in the middle, but the challenges and comaraderie of friends made those thoughts dissappear immediately.

I can say I went through that ordeal twice. I loved it both times.

Whenever I feel like giving something up or finding something new to begin, I can always look back at those weeks in New Mexico. They serve as a reminder to me to keep the sails going. 2008 has been great so far (sans this horrible cold that has given me the most sore throat in recent memory). Just four days into the year, I feel as though I'm going to find more open doors, more roads to travel, and more people that may or may not have a significant impact on my future. 2008 is going to be a good one.