Reflective Essay: How Hiking Changed My Life

Hiking has always been a fanatic passion; every new route seems like a new challenge and new opportunity, a fight against myself. Recalling the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I peered over my ragged heavy boots at the water streaming down to the rocky slopes below; I felt a queer chill run through my body. For three hours, I had hiked a steep incline up to the peak, which seemed like a cliff. Clinging tenaciously to my hiking stick, I skipped across small creeks, pulling myself up with the aid of jutting rocks and tree roots swung across gaps in the path of few branches. As I stood on the peak, with wet socked boots, I forgot my strenuous climb and remembered that every step was taken for that one reason- to jump. So I stilled the pain bouncing up and down my legs and, counted to three, hurled my body into the air, and fell.

I have been climbing inclined slopes all my life. Though I am aware that everyone climbs mountains and faces barriers in

I learnt my “why”; the reason that helped me, keep fighting on and persevere. With these skills, my life and my feelings about it improved immeasurably. My relationship with my peers changed drastically resulting from both, a change in the people I hanged around with, and a changed mindset. Now, I felt that my drive for success was no longer fueled by a need to transform my life into something more positive, but rather a desire to continue its trajectory. Due to my involvement in serving the Mombasa community and the school community, I have learnt to be responsible, independent and open-minded. I have also been able to promote education and environmental conservation through my volunteering services. Most importantly, I have developed into a young man I am proud of- determined, ruthless and compassionate. I now know what I am capable of and I will let nothing come in my way of