Years ago I went on a backpacking trip in the Yosemite backcountry with a group of strangers. It was a new experience for me. Previously I had always gone on adventures with friends or friends of friends. I had my doubts about whether this trip would turn out well.
As we got underway on our 6 day trek it became clear there was every level of backpacking experience from our 2 guides who were expert to the 2 who had never backpacked before. I felt certain this trip would end badly as we had some serious elevation gain to make with 50 miles to cover.
After our first day of very easy hiking we made camp and all started to get to know one another. The next day was another easy hike and spirits were high. Day 3 was another story. That morning we woke up, broke camp, walked to the north end of the meadow and started our 4000 ft climb up. This is where I knew the trip would fall apart. I was wrong. Every person in the group made the challenging climb, each at their own pace. We all had the same goal and we all achieved it. After this I no longer had any doubt about the trek. We were all birds of a feather. All in love with the beauty around us and all focused on achieving the end goal.
I learned much on this trek but most importantly I learned that the spirit is strongest in the seemingly weakest. I tipped my hat to everyone on this amazing adventure.