a friend and i drove to a small provincial park which borders the city where we live. while the view from the parking spot was lovely, we decided to hike the short (but steep) distance to the 360 degree lookout at the top.

just before the half-way point of this maybe 400 meter hike, i needed to stop to catch my breath. i thought ok the incline is steep, i have inappropriate footwear and i haven’t really been hiking recently.

but just before we reached the summit i was nearly overcome by a wave of something that was so strong, i literally reached out to a waist high rock ledge and said to my companion, you go on ahead i just need to sit here for a bit. it wasn’t about catching my breath. it was almost an “i can’t go on” feeling.

As i rested against the rock ledge the words “i can’t go on” had a tag-on of “can’t go on further or higher”. my companion said, i’ll wait for you. we are so close. it’s right there. And on we went.

A jolt went through me as i stepped onto the little platform at the pinnacle and heard my companion say it’s like those places where they used to do sacrifices.