Taking the first step...

Trail Head at Nick A Jack

Yesterday as we headed down Lookout Mountain (on the GA side heading into Chattanooga Valley), we stopped to check out the Nickajack (Nick A Jack) Hiking Area.  I was very impressed with the large grassy (yet inclining) meadows next to the information hut, the parking area, the garbage and recycling bins, the privy, and the changing screens.  The information hut had a good map and other helpful information.  This is a multi-use trail.

As I looked at the entrance way, I wondered 'how much of this trail will be this flat?'  The beginning looks easy enough, quiet, and peaceful.  Looking a little closer at the trailhead, you can see only up to a certain point.  After that point, it seems that the trail drops off.  Does it descend from there?  If so, to what degree?   Looking at the map, I noticed a warning for a section further on down the trail that is steep.  It's hard to tell from the map that was posted what the elevations are for the trail.  An elevation map like the ones I studied back in geology class would be helpful to figure out to what degree the trail will descend and ascend.

We didn't hike the trail yesterday.  We just wanted to check it out.  We wanted to learn a little bit about it since we had driven by it several times in the past year.  Now that we've seen it, we want to experience it. 

Even with the map that is posted, the trail will become known to us only by our experience of hiking it.   Taking the first step will open up a new adventure to us.  One that we will only be able to experience by actually taking that first step.

So, what does all this "hiking" talk have to do with journeying and adventure?  Everything!  If you've ever hiked,  you know hiking to be an adventure!  :)

Beyond hiking, it has to do with life.... the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.   There are times when taking the first step isn't so easy.  The trail before us may not look so easy.  Or, we may not have sufficient information to tell us everything that awaits us ahead.  

Taking that first step is significant in any area of our lives.  What is it in your life that is calling you to take the first step?

Tell someone about it.  Let them know what "trail" you are beginning.  Who knows?  They might decide to become your "hiking buddy" on that "trail" for a while.  Often, having someone go alongside with us helps us continue the journey.

If you'd like, post in the comment area about the journey you are beginning or have begun.   Sharing about our journeys often helps others as they travel along theirs.

Happy hiking.

~Debra