Personal Narrative On Smoky Mountain

What would I say when I meet them? Would they still be the same? Would they remember me? All these thoughts had whirled around in my head on the ride to our hotel on Smoky Mountain. My parents and I were on our way to Smoky Mountain on a vacation with our friends from Canada. There were 3 adults who were Shital, Alex, and Jinal and 3 kids who were Alay (15 years old), Pearl (7 years old), and Sophie (6 years old). As the car screeched to a stop, I took a deep, shuddering breath and helped tote our bags inside. As soon as I stepped into the brightly lit hotel, my vision was suddenly obscured by a bunch of frizzy hair. It was my mom’s friend from Canada, Shital. She had sped across the room and squeezed me so tight, I felt as if my lungs were
going to explode. As she enthusiastically greeted my mom, I made my way across the room to where everybody else waited. I was hit with a bunch of “hi’s”, “how are you’s”, and “do you remember me’s?” In no time, we were all having a great time catching up.
Eventually, the chatter died down and I realized how tired I was when I let loose a huge yawn.
As I headed toward my room to sleep, I saw my dad’s towering figure approach me.
“We are going on a long uphill hike tomorrow and the a lot of people have decided not the come,” my dad informed, “It is your choice if you want to come on the hike.” With that, he turned and walked back to where everybody else
sat.
Alay, Shital’s son came up to me just when I turned around.
“I don’t think you should come on the hike. You are too young and will just slow the others down. Personally, I want to hike at a fast pace and I’m sure the others want that too, but you won’t be able to keep up.” He finished, a smug smile on his face. I gaped in shock as he turned on his heel and strode away.
I slowly turned away and continued toward my room, lost in thought. One part of me wanted to go on the hike and prove that I could keep up with the others, but another part was frightened that Alay was right and that I really wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others. I didn’t want to slow the others down, but I wanted to prove to Alay that I could do it. I didn’t know whether to be angry at Alay or accept that he did have a point. As I rested my head on my pillow, I was far from sleep with the decision placing a burden on my shoulders.
The next day arrived far too soon. It was the day where I had to make my decision. As I uncertainly stepped into the kitchen, my dad heartily greeted me.
“Good morning, kiddo. Have you decided whether or not you’re going on the hike?” He looked at me expectantly. I glanced at Alay who had his arms crossed and mouthed “say no”. That is when I felt a part of me snap as I blurted out my decision.
With a stubborn edge to my voice, I declared, “I’m going to come on the hike.” Despite my confidence when I announced my decision, deep down, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep up with the others.
When we started the hike, I realized why Alay thought I wouldn’t be able to keep up. As we hiked, the trail kept going uphill, continuing past our eyesight, never tiring.
“Are you sure you will make it to the top and back down?” Alay questioned pointedly, noticing my exhaustion.
“I can do it!” I retorted through gritted teeth, although, I really wasn’t sure.
I gazed at the peaceful and calming landscape around me. The trees reached toward the sky, and the grass was rich and green with flowers dotting the landscape with different hues. After a while, my shirt was drenched with sweat and the hot, humid air irked my skin. I continued walking, telling myself I could do it as my muscles ached and burned.
Eventually, we reached the top. The breathtaking view made the difficult and tiring journey worth it. The water gushed down the waterfall, continuing down the stream, occasionally bumping into rocks. I let out a satisfied sigh as I dipped my feet in the cold water.
When we started hiking down, I felt like collapsing. The trail seemed to never end. “I can do it,” I encouraged myself as I continued. Each step made my feet sting, but we finally made it to the bottom of the mountain. I collapsed on the soft, comfy, inviting seat of the car. Sitting down felt as pleasant as diving into a pool on a hot summer day. This hike was more important than I realized, I reflected on the way back. Instead of just proving Alay wrong, I had learned that if I tried really hard, I could achieve anything I wanted to. This was one lesson that I would remember my entire
life.