The Long Climb

This photo was taken on a rock in the Colorado mountains during what was supposed to be a four-mile hike. It turned into eight. And every bit of it tested me.

I was around 370 pounds in this moment. The altitude was hitting me hard. My legs were burning. My pride was bruised. And if I’m being honest, I was questioning why I ever said yes to the hike in the first place. But even more honest? There was no way I was quitting. Not with my kids and grandkids walking beside me—offering to carry my bag, cracking jokes, telling me I could do it. Not when they were watching to see how I showed up when things got hard.

That hike was a mirror. It reminded me that the journey doesn’t always match the brochure. It’s longer than expected. The path gets narrow. The air gets thin. You’re forced to confront your pace, your strength, your will.

But here’s what surprised me: the view from the top wasn’t just stunning—it was sacred. And it wasn’t just the mountains stretching across the sky that moved me. It was the realization that every step, every stumble, every breathless pause along the way was part of the reason I got to see it at all. You can’t shortcut to a summit. You earn it. And sometimes, the pain is part of the gift.

That moment stirred something in me. I knew I had to take better care of myself—not just for me, but for them. Since then, I’ve dropped over 50 pounds, with more to go. At 6’8”, I don’t need the extra weight, but I do need the energy, the mobility, the life on the other side of discomfort. And let me tell you, I’m chasing it now.

Life is a long climb.

There will be switchbacks and setbacks. Days when you feel like the mountain is winning. But if you keep showing up—one step at a time—there’s a view waiting that will make you forget how tired you are. Because that view? That view belongs to the version of you that didn’t quit.

And maybe, just maybe, that view will show you something more than scenery.

Maybe it’ll show you a version of yourself you didn’t know was possible—the one who kept climbing.