When the theoretical becomes reality

A couple of weeks ago I stood in line with the others in our group, awaiting entrance to the Inca Trail. Each of us had the required permit and were waiting just to check in. Beyond us lay a suspension bridge which crossed the Urumbamba River and then, .... the unknown. Until that point, hiking the Inca Trail was a concept; an idea. It was easy to visit with friends and casually mention that I planned "To hike the Inca Trail from Cuzco to Macchu Picchu." It sounded so exotic and awesome. But as I stood in line, looking across the river to the trailhead, suddenly the reality of what I was about to do came crashing in around me. I had paid the money, bought the plane tickets, packed the gear, and traveled to Peru, but the reality is that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I had the stuff on the list of stuff to have. I had spent significant time training as best I could. I arrived in Cuzco a day early to have an extra day to help with acclimatizing to the altitude, but all of that was theoretical. I could have stopped all of that at any time. But across that bridge lay reality. Once across that bridge there would be no turning back. What ever realities were over there had to be be faced and I would not be coming back to that trailhead. I would be emerging from the trail some 47 kilometers away and four days later in a place much different from the starting point. And the reality was much different than my concept. The path was steeper and more uneven than I had imagined. If I knew at the beginning what I know now, I would have prepared differently. But that is the way of life, isn't it? We enter the reality of life with only theoretical preparation. Some decide to return to the hotel and wait for the group to return; content to hear other's stories of adventure. But to those who cross the bridge to reality and stay on the trail, there are undescribable vistas to be seen, and triumphs to be won. There were times on the trail when the strength of my will had to make up for deficiencies in the strength of my legs. There were times when I viewed with tear-filled eyes the grandeur of God's creation and marvelled at the intelligence that God placed in the Inca people hundreds of years ago to build structures which have survived earthquakes and conquistidors. And I thanked God that a goofy middle-aged goober such as I would be blessed to take part in an adventure such as this. The theoretical was good, but the reality was amazing.