Personal Narrative: My First Time Spent In Retezat

Reflecting on our five days spent in Retezat, I cannot help but relish in almost every single experience since it was all so new to me. I had never gone on a hiking trip before, nor had I ever spent that much time in the wilderness being able to truly enjoy God’s creation. However, there were two moments that definitely stick out to me as I reflect on the journey: the first being our time at the summit of Peleaga and the second being the night that Paige, Janelle and I spent in the Salvamont cabana. I think these stick out the most because they were the only time where I could relax and be in the moment. At these times, I was no longer completely focused on the physical implications of the hike like my cold body or the worry of making sure I was taking the right step. These two experiences also provided me the space to reflect on …show more content…
It is what I had been most looking forward to, and it was a concrete experience that was unlike the other days of purely hiking. Day three represented getting over the mountain, both figuratively because it was the third out of five days and literally because that is what we were doing. To me it meant I had survived up to that point and therefore, I knew that I would be able to push forward for the next two days. The summit also represented an experience that I never thought I would personally do, nor did I ever think that I would enjoy it as much as I had.
Being at the top of the summit allowed me a moment to stop and be still for once. I was no longer forcing myself to push on forward up the mountain, rather it was the first time that I think I could truly enjoy the incredible beauty of the mountains. Looking out over many, many miles of land was something I had never experienced before. It was much like flying in an airplane looking down below; however, hiking up the mountain had involved my physical exertion which made it more satisfying and