Life is a thru-hike. Every day it’s a matter of waking up and finding a way to repeatedly put one foot in front of the other, minute after minute, day after day, for a whole lot of days. Along the way, you are going to eat, drink, laugh, cry, and sleep. And when you get to the point where you can’t do any of that anymore, then one way or the other you have reached the end of your trail. For some people, the end of the trail comes sooner than later. Some people will find their trail blocked by obstacles, will allow themselves to be sidetracked, or be forced to take a detour, and they never find the trail again. Others, facing the same situations, will overcome the obstacles, avoid the sidetrack, and endure the detour in order to regain the trail and continue on. None of them are failures. From the first step to the last, each step, laugh, and cry is a victory.

Simply by taking the first step of any trail, you have won.