My two sisters, dad, aunt, and I packed lunches for the day trip ahead of us. We were headed for an all day hike from the Solitude Ski Resort up to Honeycomb Cliff. We knew it would be a strenuous hike but didn’t realize how steep it would be the whole way to the top.

We started the trek around 9 a.m. The air was brisk and made us shiver in our shorts and tank tops. The crisp air felt dry and clean. The pine trees stood tall and strong. The ground was sloshy and wet from the melted snowfall from weeks before. Our shoes got to be muddy and heavy, but the further up the mountain we got, the less we noticed and quickly our shoes  dried.

The trail swerved back and forth (so called “switchback” by those who were big time hikers). The steepness of the mountain and the confusion of what is actually a trail made us stop, take breaks, determine our location, and occasionally break out the granola bars and butterscotch.

The recent unpredicted snowfall in the canyon made it difficult to know which dirt “path” was the trail. A few times we ended up climbing over large boulders on the side of the mountain, thinking it was connected to or was the trail.

As we got further up the mountain we could now notice distinct trails and were able to recognize the one we were to take. I was excited to see where the trails would take me and the views I would see.

We knew we were getting closer to Honeycomb Cliff as the trail was getting steeper and steeper. Our shoes slipped often on the loose gravel and dirt from the trail. We reached for shrubs, tree branches and trunks to help us keep our balance going up the trail. We hiked and hiked and hiked some more up the trail. The trail gradually turned more rocky and we were able to see a clearer view of the canyon. I, being afraid of heights, got nervous when one side of the trail became a sharp rocky drop that seemed to have no end, as if anyone who fell would never reach ground.

We could finally see the top of Honeycomb Cliff, and it seemed to be within arm’s reach. We were so close, It was around 2 p.m., and our bellies rumbled, but we wanted to save our lunch to eat on the top of the cliff. The trail required us to climb over large rocks to reach the tippy top. I followed my dad’s lead and we maneuvered our way up the gigantic rocks. Falling off the rocks would cause a pretty bad injury so we were very cautious. I was so excited, we were minutes away from the cliff. I tried not to look down, but I could feel the altitude, so I felt a bit shaky.

Climbing over the last rock and reaching the top of the cliff made me feel as if I was on top of the world. I could see everything in the entire canyon. I could see the lakes, roads going to ski resorts, and lodges stretched up the mountain. I could see where the sun hit the mountains, highlighting and contouring the crevices and bulges of the summit. The pine trees were all shades of green and looked fluffy and thick. The mountains pierced the clear blue sky, peppered with white cotton candy clouds.

The elevation: 10,400 feet. Being up high in the mountains I witnessed the beauty of the world. I always knew the world was an amazing, gorgeous and lush place, but being at a view where I could see everything around me at vast distances made me gain a greater appreciation for the world around me and made me feel so blessed to live on such a beautiful planet.