Some call it a trail.  Others an area.  Me?  I call it now.  The moments of anticipation before I rise above my current surroundings - climbing further and further towards the skies above.

This is the place of beginnings.  The first challenges that push upward above the plains. Everything that lives here is tough, hard and durable.  They fight uneven ground, flash floods, freezing weather, fires and predators in order to stay for a moment.  You have to be tough to thrive here - able to adapt to things that will only become familiar over time.  The aches, pains, injuries, thirst, hunger, fear - all of these things await you here.

Yet there are countless rewards here as nature shows its ability to live in this tough place. Water bursts holes inside rocks, forming cracks so it can continue its journey towards the ocean far far away.  Trees dig deep into the uneven ground so their branches can capture the sun's rays that fall among the shadows.  Animals show off their expertise in navigating this uneven maze for hidden food.  

Colors take turns covering the land.  Greens spring forth under the white just before yellows and purples dot the landscape.  Shorter days bring a burning glow making all the yellows, reds and orange colors vibrant.  Ready for rest, various shades of brown takes the place of the fallen colors before they are buried underneath the white.

The beauty to behold is beyond any suffering for me.  Yet as gripping as these scenes are to see, the truth is this place is simply preparing me for what is next.  While I enjoy each precious moment here, I believe all of this is affirmation that I'm on the right path and that ultimately my journey continues higher than these initial mountains over the plains.  

Not everyone will see the beauty beyond the suffering.  Nor do they hear the encouragement to go higher and further into the unknown.  But those that do will journey beyond.  They appreciate all that these hills have to offer, but know there are new sights to see, new feelings to be felt, new struggles to know and new rewards to reap.  

I enjoyed my time in The Foothills.  I loved feeling the cold, crisp air filling my lungs at dawn and dusk.  I loved feeling a smile across my face as each turn in the trail offered a different glimpse into nature's beautiful show.  I loved feeling my body adapt to this tough place as it left the comforts of home below.  But as much as I love this place and time in my life, I know my journey goes on from here.  Memories of the foothills will seem fond among new and greater challenges, but the call of the next ridge will be greater.  

In my journey I will race down into valleys so deep the light will not follow and climb up cliffs that rise above the clouds.  Each struggle will offer an even greater reward and that is ultimately why my life goes beyond The Foothills.