A True Mountaintop Experience

November 8 finally arrived. The day I had looked forward to and worked for throughout Chemo. The day Rick and I would make our annual trek up Mt. LeConte in Tennessee. We've done this every year since we've been married, and we plan it a year in advance. So when I was diagnosed, Rick said "well, I guess we'll be cancelling our plans for LeConte this year." And I said, "not so fast". "I'm not willing to cancel anything until I absolutely know I can't do it".

Before cancer, I exercised every other day. Weights and eliptical. I was in the shape of my life. One of my fears about my illness was that I would lose what I had worked so hard for - the muscle tone and energy that allowed me to hike and enjoy other activities that I love. So every day during chemo I had a goal. Walk. Exercise. Stay in shape so I could still make it to the top of LeConte. When I got my chemo schedule, I realized that I would only have one week to recover before LeConte.

November 8, we left for Leconte. We stayed in Cherokee that evening, and woke up early to make it to trailhead. We started hiking at about 10:00 a.m. I did really well until we got to the steep part - where the ascent was pretty well straight up. Then I started to feel the pain in my upper legs - the burn that comes when your muscles aren't strong enough to carry your body. So Rick starts singing to me. What a wonderful gesture! He knew it would make me laugh, which would take my mind off of my pain. I think he sang the last hour up. And most people would stop when other people came along - not my Rick. He just kept on singing. I love this man!

Here are our pictures. They say more than I can about why we make this trip every year. We sit up on the rocks and read our bibles and talk and laugh and share the silence and beauty only God could have created.