Oct 27, 2011

My first climb up to the Y in Provo.

When I was called to serve in the High Council I had been serving in the 166^th Ward Bishopric at Brigham Young University. As a member of the Bishopric I had made it a goal to attend  every activity to support the youth of the ward. I had almost attained that goal but was not able to do one of the activities in three years because of a scheduling conflict as it was held during the same time that I had been asked to photograph a wedding. SO as a member of the High Council I made it a goal to attend all that I could but not necessarily every one. This goal included attending the activities of the ward to which I was assigned to help in the Stake as well.

Well that goal was really put to the test this last couple of weeks. We had a Stake activity to climb up to the Y on the hill behind BYU campus. Normally I would have loved to be involved in this kind of an activity but due to other circumstances I was actually quite dreading this one. I had been on the second floor at work and was assigned a responsibility that had me going up and down stairs constantly during the day and I was feeling pretty good and could even go up and down the stairs in the buildings where we hold church on BYU camps. However that assignment was changed a couple months prior to this activity and my desk was moved back to the first floor and I was then working at the computer all day with no break going up and down the stairs. My schedule trough the day was to get up at 5:30 A.M. and go to work around 6 A.M. I would then begin working on photographs with occasional breaks to go to the photo room and take pictures then back to my chair to work on those photos until 5 P.M. when I would go home. Around 6 P.M. I would then sit back down at my computer and work on photographs that I  had taken for weddings or families until 10 P.M. when I would retire to the bedroom and go to bed after reading the scriptures and having our night time prayers. This was repeated everyday during the week and then on Saturday I would do yard work all day until after supper or later when I would again work on the photographs on my computer. So I was getting occasional exercise on Saturdays and whenever I was taking pictures at weddings or other places. Needless to say it was not adequate enough to prepare me for a climb up the face of a mountain.

Well I was for sure going to go running or something to get prepared during the last two weeks before the event but it didn’t happen due to rain and the shear magnitude of work that I had to get done for clients. Well I got up early and made sure that I had a breakfast before starting on this activity. I had been assigned to help set up for it so I knew that I had to be there a half hour before any of the youth would be coming. I also made sure my water pack was filled with Gatorade, a drink filled with nutrients and salt that I would be using during the hike.  I got my camera gear all loaded into my pack and headed off to Provo still a bit worried about the outcome and whether I would actually physically be able to make the climb. I ended up being a little early and was the first one to the parking lot from the stake. I could see where a lot of people had already been climbing the trail and were actually at the Y. It of course didn’t look to be very far up there after climbing a good portion of the mountain in the car just getting to the trail head.  I soon saw three youth that I knew from the ward and they said they wanted to climb first and then come down for breakfast. The Stake Relief Society Presidency then arrived followed shortly afterwards by another two members of the High Council and a member of the Stake Presidency. We soon were setting up the food and the youth started to arrive.

Well it wasn’t long after the food arrived and people had eaten that the first ones of the group decided to start up the trail. I went with them knowing that they would be to the top long before I got there but at least I would be there before the last of the group would get here.

I still wasn’t ready to hike but headed off with them and was able to keep up for the first 100 yards then had to stop and get my breath back. I slowly inched up the trail stopping frequently still trying to catch my breath. I then looked back down the trail and noticed two members of the Stake Presidency coming up the trail and decided that I would at least get there before they did. Well at the last section of the trail they were in hearing distance of me and I yelled for them to stop so I would be able to get there first. They didn’t because when they asked, “Do you want us to stop?” I laughing replied “No”. I did make it up there first and even had enough left in me to run the last 20 yards to the top so that I could joke with the ones that I had started with that I ran up the mountain. It was a beautiful sight to be able to see the valley below as the sunlight was slowly getting closer to the mountain. (That was another goal that I had and it was that I be to the “Y” before the sun got there. I mad it.)

I stayed and took a few pictures and then finally headed back down. I went much slower going down since I wanted to take pictures of the scenery that I had not photographed going up due to my heavy breathing and unable to really hold the camera very still. I passed a lot of the Stake as they were coming up and a lot of the stake passed me as they were going back down. When I made it to the bottom I commented to one of the youth that I had walked with the last few yards down the trail that my wife said that I could make it and, well, she was right even though I had my serious doubts before starting that morning. I did make it and it was a tough as I had imagined and that point was really driven home actually while near the top when a young man from the ward I been in with the Bishopric came running up the trail. He ran all the way to the top and then ran back down. In fact it was 7 minutes later according to the time on the photographs when he ran back down past me. He is in really good shape though and even commented that he had ran the Boston Marathon earlier in the year.

SO here is a summary of the lessons that I learned while on this hike. 1.  Dreading it is real and serves as a warning to prepare. 2. Make time to prepare. 3. Do it anyway because you will be glad that you did after it is over. 4. Be sure there is a Doctor with you even though he went ahead of you quite easily and wouldn’t have been able to help until he was on his way back down. 5. Don’t set goals to bet someone who is in better shape than you are.  6. Just laugh it off when someone comes running up the trail and seems to be on a Sunday stroll through the park. And finally #7. The easiest way to climb that mountain when not prepared is to have some one else do it for you.

I was glad that I had done it but when all was said and done I was pretty sore and had muscles aching in every part of my body the rest of that day and the next day. If asked to do it again I would, but would also try to prepare just a little bit better.