Today we hiked to the top of Storm King Mountain, elevation 1,340 feet. It sits on the west bank of the Hudson River and, together with Breakneck Ridge on the opposite bank, creates the northern narrows known as “Wey-Gat,” or Wind Gate. During his initial voyage up the river, Henry Hudson took note of its prominent aspect and called the mountain Klinkesberg because of its rock cliffs near the river.
As we climbed up the difficult trail, which often doubled as a flowing creek, I noticed that we were practically alone on the mountain. One other hiker we ran into warned us of wet, steep trail conditions on the back side of the mountain, but we pressed on. The clouds hung low in the sky, and I worried we would not have a view once we reached the top.
Just as we reached the summit, the sun broke through the clouds to reveal a magnificent southern view of the Hudson River as it wound its way for miles toward New York City. We were so high up that we were looking down on a group of large birds circling lazily in the breeze over the water. It is understandable why this very view was a popular subject for artists from the Hudson River School and can be found in many early paintings of the region.
Panting and covered in sweat, we sat down on a large rock to catch our breath and fully take in the view. “Not bad for a Wednesday morning,” I mused out loud. “Beats sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer screen all day.”
I then reflected for a few minutes on all the years of work that led up to this moment, and the seemingly small but compounding choices along the way that made today possible. Somewhere far below us, a cargo ship snaked its way slowly up the river toward a northern destination. Just like that ship, our journey was not straight or fast, but it landed us in the right place.
In that moment I felt gratitude, gratitude for this day, and for being able to spend it with the person I love.
When your day comes to finally step away from the office for the last time, will you know what your next step is? Will your “ship” bring you to the right destination? What mountain (or purpose) will you be ready to tackle, and will that purpose result in gratitude?