walk above the clouds

My legs were quivering in exhaustion. My knees were buckling, and my ankles swollen. I was trembling because of the frigid cold. My chest was pounding. I could barely breathe. My thirst was unquenchable, and I was swaddled in filth and mud.

I muttered every curse imaginable, scratching my head in astonishment at why I ever volunteered to bring this torture upon myself.

“One foot in front of the other,” I kept reminding myself. Countless times, I wavered. But whether from a slight tap of encouragement from the person next to me or because of pride, I continued to drudge, endure and toil.

Then, after over four hours of misery… Finally, the peak.

I collapsed in relief, gazing upon the bleak sky. A