I shocked myself that I was actually able to keep up

«Rewarding». If I had one word to describe hiking as a whole, that’s what it would be. Of course a lot of other words ran through my head «difficult, tiring, scary, deadly…?» but when I got to the top a definitive word popped into my mind. Rewarding. Rewarding is truly what it is.

It was the last day of Topptur (hiking elective) so what better way to finish it off other than the Saksa (scissor) hike! I missed hike 1/3 so I felt like I had a little less experience than everyone else. And not to mention, I’m a Floridian (you know how many mountains Florida has) 😂.

But I was determined to finish strong. The total climb was 1073 meters (doesn’t sound like much but it was 🥲) and just about 5 hours. The pace was…fast (The principal, Sven, who led the group is a VERY seasoned hiker) but I shocked myself that I was actually able to keep up.

We took 2 short eating breaks on the way up and got right back to full speed hiking. It’s kind of like running, you DO NOT want to stop when you get tired because then it is that much harder to start running again. So I tried to ignore my «stopping instinct» and just pushed through every step. I knew that each step was a step closer to the top.

When we got to 600 meters at the base of the steep mountain, I looked up in fear. But before I knew it, my feet just started moving. I didn’t stop, I just kept it up all the way to the top.

There were multiple instances that I thought I was going to slip off the slick rock and die BUT I did not so we’re all good 😊. I had to be in some pretty awkward positions (the splits, all fours, sliding on my butt, digging my hands into plants etc) just to stay connected to the cliff.

Luckily I don’t have a genuine fear of heights but I can’t lie, I did feel pretty scared at some parts. It also doesn’t help that I am more clumsy than the average person 🫣.

Eventually though, I reached the summit and my was it beautiful. The sun, the fjord, the rocky cliff, the glistening water, the still air… so picturesque. Then we read poems at the top… (continued in the comments!!)