Ava’s Patient Hike

This is my niece, Ava, in her peachy outfit and adorable hat. My hiking buddy, along with my nephews and my sister. Ava was demonstrating the strength of a modern female, posing in the Fearless Girl pose I was teaching her. We’d just survived a horrendous hike so she’d earned this bold pose on top of this rock.

It had rained on our hike. Not the soothing rain that might pepper leaves and moisten the ground in a springtime shower. No, this was an unzipping of the clouds that released a torrent of water and thunder for at least thirty minutes as we aimed our boots upward and out of the woods.

Prior to this deluge, we had enjoyed our romp through the trees that included a dip in a pool of mountain runoff. We had marveled at the patterns in the plants lining our path. We had admired the purple in the buds and the green of the ferns. The boys explored, as did the girls, beneath a canopy that shielded us from the sun and heat and warning.

On the return trip, we heard the distant thunder and reassured ourselves with the idea of having sufficient time to get back to the trailhead and the safety of the car. We miscalculated. And the heavens opened up on us. That shoe soaking, squishy climb out of the woods taught me a lesson.

As the rain intensified and the thunder followed, I remember the look on Ava’s face, seeking reassurance that we were okay, confirmation that a lightning bolt wasn’t seeking out our demise. The boys complained, as boys will, but marched on. But Ava was trusting us, reading our cues, trying to determine the appropriate response to our situation and her palpable fear. My sister and I stayed light-hearted and displayed determination as we aimed ourselves back toward the top of the hill. That was the lesson, perseverance, we thought.  

There must be a writing lesson here as well. Something about putting our characters in uncomfortable situations, surrounding them with danger, conflict. See how they react to uncertain circumstances. I wanted this to be a lesson in perseverance. A writer must have the stamina to withstand the process and the strength to stay focused despite what may come. Right?

But no amount of “elbows-in-the-air” posing was going to get us out of this mess. We had to walk ourselves out of the storm. Our words of encouragement began to fail as surely as our hiking boots slipped on the muddy path. Our laughter at the predicament softened to resolute and quiet breaths. This wasn’t a lesson about perseverance, it was a lesson of patience and discomfort. No, this was not about the boldness and strength of invincibility, although we clearly had plenty of both. But somehow this had become be a lesson in humility. Mother Nature was sporting her elbows on this day.

Sometimes our characters, and we as writers, will face the onslaught of unrelenting rain and an uphill journey that seems unending. Yes, getting through it takes will and grit and spit. But sometimes it takes patience in water-slogged boots on a slippery slope to merely enjoy the feeling of relief at getting to the top and climbing into the dry seat of a Toyota.