Sunrise Mountain Research Paper

Sunrise Mountain
In all my travels, never would I have thought that a hike up Sunrise Mountain would turn out to be so rewarding, but for me, it was the place where I taught my sons to love and respect exercise, prepared our bodies for the everyday physical journey through life, and found solitude in my thoughts.
My family was first turned on to hiking, when my sons attend the Glendale Christian Church Youth Group. The youth pastor built his teachings around an activity based program, which in turn changed my eldest son from being an introvert, to a willingly participate in the church’s youth ministry. One of the activities included hiking into the Grand Canyon for a week, which entailed hiking at least once every weekend in preparation for the strenuous endeavor. Our first hiking trip took place at Squaw Peak one Sunday afternoon, with several parents and numerous teenagers and a few younger siblings. We unknowingly hiked in our tennis shoes, with only one water bottle for each of us. Needless
to say, that was a long and hot Spring afternoon.
The weekly family hiking trips were at first, more about learning the trails, being fully prepared for the hikes and a time to open up with each other. We quickly learned to start hiking in the early mornings, dressing in layers, and of course we wore visors or hats, in response to sunburned body parts. Needless to say we received plenty of vitamin D on our outings. The three of us ended up carry a camelback, an extra bottle of water, along with a first aid kit and protein snacks. We all received new high top hiking boots, to prevent ankle sprains, along with pebbles and flora from working their way down under our feet. As we learned about each of these hiking essentials, we built up a camaraderie and a love for the trails. The trails gradually became easier as we became stronger, which built up our endurance, and we became more engrossed in our conversations and trail games. Occasionally we would invite friends, which would make the time pass quickly and what once was a chore, became an enjoyable outing.
Through all of these weekend trips, we successfully prepared my eldest son to hike down into the Grand Canyon, with all of his camping essentials, and then hike out five days later.
He was in the first group of five boys to hike out of the canyon. After a short rest, he went back down into the canyon to carry out a fellow camper who was not able to climb out on her own. To this day, Matthew, my eldest son is an avid body builder who goes off on weekend hikes with his friends. My youngest son, Branden has a love of sports, which has included football, track and competitive swimming. He often goes hiking with friends and has spent an over-night hiking trip at Sycamore Creek, in the rain. Now Branden is preparing to join the Marine Reserves. He is building up his body for this next journey, which includes running, weightlifting and all sorts of floor exercises. He has a goal to be the top in his class, which means becoming the best at each physical endurance
test. Being a wife, mother, employee and student has had many challenges, which in turn produced many frustrations which I was able to excise through hiking. When I hiked with my sons, we would enjoy a companionship and a competitive spirit, which would push those frustrations aside. We would often race to the top of one of the mountain’s peaks and then back to the car, which didn’t leave much time for dwelling on issues. There were times that my sons would bring friends and go off on their own trails, which would leave me a couple of hours to work through the persistent issues that were pressing down on me at the time. At other times, I would take solitude, relaxing trips with my mp3 player, listening to music or embarking on an audible mystery-crime story.
In conclusion, I think often about the days that my sons and I hiked Sunrise Mountain’s trails. Being successful in connecting with my sons is something that I will always cherish. Knowing that I was able to influence them to enjoy physical fitness and to make it an important part of their lives is beyond measurement. They know the physical and mental grit that is necessary in order to prepare themselves for strenuous activities such as joining the Marine Reserves and the California Highway Patrol.