This weekend my Weight Watchers group hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls.

This is something I would never have thought I could do.

A moderate, 2.2-mile hike with 700 feet of elevation gain to the top of Multnomah Falls.

I have to be honest. If they think this is “moderate” I don’t even want to know what difficult might be like. Though we took a lot of breathing breaks and stopped frequently to admire the scenery, this might  make my top 25 most uncomfortable days.

But we (ALL OF US) made it to the top. And it was worth it. Even the soreness the next day was worth it.

Along the way I thought a lot about how this hike could apply to my lifestyle change journey. There are a lot of similarities: difficult but worth it, better with friends, taking frequent breaks, many switchbacks / changes of direction, enjoying the journey.

In the end, when I hit that highest point, I was just glad to be done.