Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Flattop Mountain in Alaska's Chugach State Park

“Wait, what? You mean there is no clear path?"

A trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.
A trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.

I gripped my hiking sticks, took a deep breath, and began to climb up a steep rocky mountain. I glanced up to see the top of the mountain, “That’s where I need to get to."  My eyes traced down the mountain to land on a field of hundreds of sharp rocks with no clear path in sight. Those rocks were the only thing that stood between me and completing this hike. I turned back only to see more rocks and a steep slope. In an instant, I became paralyzed with fear, “I won’t make it up this mountain, there is no clear path. I’m going to slip and fall down this mountain.”

My husband Steven and I were finally in Alaska, a place that we had talked about visiting for over nine years and we finally made it. It was day 6 out of our 8-day trip and we decided to go on a hike in Chugach State Park. During the summer months, Alaska experiences extremely long hours of daylight and even at 2 am it will still be light outside. We took advantage of this opportunity and made our way to Chugach at 8:30 pm to hike a popular trail called Flattop Mountain. Flattop Mountain is a 2.8-mile difficult trail with about 1,325 ft of elevation gain. I should probably mention that I am not a beginner hiker, but not an advanced hiker either, so a trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.

“Yes! We are almost there, this has been a great hike.”

In the parking lot, I laced up my hiking boots, grabbed my backpack, and placed my water bottle inside. I grabbed my hiking sticks. The trail started pretty flat, “Right, left, right, left.” I stopped at different moments to take in the ocean and snow-covered peaks.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After 20 minutes, I was understanding why the trail was labeled “difficult.” I took a wide step forward, using the wood steps that were built by the park rangers to assist hikers with the steep parts of the trail. With each step I  gained more elevation. We got to a little flat section of the trail, “Whew, time for a quick break.” Within less than a few minutes we were back at it.

We made it to a clearing and saw other hikers starting back down the trail. I looked up at the mountain. “We are almost there, this has been a great hike." I glanced at the steep mountain with those sharp rocks and scanned from left to right looking for the trail. I looked for wood steps like we saw earlier. They were nowhere in sight. I saw another hiker, “Hey. How do you get to the top of the mountain?” The hiker responded, “You can follow the path that the other hikers have made. It’s kind of hard to see so just take your time climbing up.” “Wait, what? You mean there is no clear path, to get to the top of the mountain?”

Steven said, “Just follow me up. I’ll find the way.” I attached my hiking sticks to my backpack, took a deep breath. I glanced up to see the top of the mountain, “That’s where I need to get to.” Very slowly, I took my first step, and then the second, and then the third. All of a sudden the makeshift trail started to disappear, and the higher I climbed the more terrified I became. “Where am I going?" I could see myself tumbling down this mountain. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t climb the rest of the way. I told Steven I had to turn back.

I told Steven I had to turn back.

I made my way back down the mountain, crouched down and practically sliding down the rocks. A thought occurred to me, “How will you ever conquer your fears and accomplish your dreams if you give up when you can’t see the path to get there.” At that moment, I realized that many times in life I have a dream and a goal of what I want to accomplish but I quit, give up, and get scared because I don’t see a path to get there. 

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Birdwatching bonanza, earliest sunset of the year, bulb planting time

Venus shines its brightest
Next Article

Mang Tomas, banana ketchup barred in San Diego

What will happen to Filipino Christmas here?
A trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.
A trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.

I gripped my hiking sticks, took a deep breath, and began to climb up a steep rocky mountain. I glanced up to see the top of the mountain, “That’s where I need to get to."  My eyes traced down the mountain to land on a field of hundreds of sharp rocks with no clear path in sight. Those rocks were the only thing that stood between me and completing this hike. I turned back only to see more rocks and a steep slope. In an instant, I became paralyzed with fear, “I won’t make it up this mountain, there is no clear path. I’m going to slip and fall down this mountain.”

My husband Steven and I were finally in Alaska, a place that we had talked about visiting for over nine years and we finally made it. It was day 6 out of our 8-day trip and we decided to go on a hike in Chugach State Park. During the summer months, Alaska experiences extremely long hours of daylight and even at 2 am it will still be light outside. We took advantage of this opportunity and made our way to Chugach at 8:30 pm to hike a popular trail called Flattop Mountain. Flattop Mountain is a 2.8-mile difficult trail with about 1,325 ft of elevation gain. I should probably mention that I am not a beginner hiker, but not an advanced hiker either, so a trail labeled as difficult didn’t scare me.

“Yes! We are almost there, this has been a great hike.”

In the parking lot, I laced up my hiking boots, grabbed my backpack, and placed my water bottle inside. I grabbed my hiking sticks. The trail started pretty flat, “Right, left, right, left.” I stopped at different moments to take in the ocean and snow-covered peaks.

Sponsored
Sponsored

After 20 minutes, I was understanding why the trail was labeled “difficult.” I took a wide step forward, using the wood steps that were built by the park rangers to assist hikers with the steep parts of the trail. With each step I  gained more elevation. We got to a little flat section of the trail, “Whew, time for a quick break.” Within less than a few minutes we were back at it.

We made it to a clearing and saw other hikers starting back down the trail. I looked up at the mountain. “We are almost there, this has been a great hike." I glanced at the steep mountain with those sharp rocks and scanned from left to right looking for the trail. I looked for wood steps like we saw earlier. They were nowhere in sight. I saw another hiker, “Hey. How do you get to the top of the mountain?” The hiker responded, “You can follow the path that the other hikers have made. It’s kind of hard to see so just take your time climbing up.” “Wait, what? You mean there is no clear path, to get to the top of the mountain?”

Steven said, “Just follow me up. I’ll find the way.” I attached my hiking sticks to my backpack, took a deep breath. I glanced up to see the top of the mountain, “That’s where I need to get to.” Very slowly, I took my first step, and then the second, and then the third. All of a sudden the makeshift trail started to disappear, and the higher I climbed the more terrified I became. “Where am I going?" I could see myself tumbling down this mountain. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t climb the rest of the way. I told Steven I had to turn back.

I told Steven I had to turn back.

I made my way back down the mountain, crouched down and practically sliding down the rocks. A thought occurred to me, “How will you ever conquer your fears and accomplish your dreams if you give up when you can’t see the path to get there.” At that moment, I realized that many times in life I have a dream and a goal of what I want to accomplish but I quit, give up, and get scared because I don’t see a path to get there. 

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mang Tomas, banana ketchup barred in San Diego

What will happen to Filipino Christmas here?
Next Article

Holiday Market At Petco Park, Will Smith’s Dance in the Darkness Tour, Light Shows, Snowfall, Caroling

Events December 12-December 13, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader