One of the hardest points of the Switzerland trip was a hike I wasn’t prepared for. Apparently, the Charles Kuonen Bridge is the longest in Switzerland measuring at 494 meters. We didn’t realize how long of a trek it would be, hence, not being prepared. What we thought would be a mild walk turned out to be a two hour there, two hour back, inclined hike. There were more than one occurrence where I wanted to turn back, but the thought of reaching the end kept me going. It didn’t help that along the way, different people that we passed by gave us inaccurate information about how much longer it would take until we reached the bridge. It was interesting to see different perceptions of time. When we finally arrived, albeit two hours and a slightly irritated Elise later, it wasn’t just seeing the bridge that awed me. It was knowing that the only way to see this bridge was to get there by foot.
This hike reminded me that perseverance isn’t always about taking the giant leaps, it’s about not giving up when things get hard, choosing the hard thing over and over, and not giving up when the easy thing is to stop (or in my case, turn back). Was the hike worth it in the end? At the time, maybe not. But, knowing that we didn’t give up and turn back made me realize this exact lesson about not giving up. So, yes, in the end it was worth it.
Here are some amazing pictures from the preverbial ‘top’.
xoxo,e
