The Rock
Ethan Harvey
25 October 2011

 
The rock.  It stands alone among the wonders of the earth, separated by its nature from things of pure wonder and beauty.  Not to say that the rock isn’t beautiful, on the contrary, it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.  But it is not a thing of pure wonder and beauty.  Yes, there is nothing more gorgeous than this crag, this immovable cliff a hundred feet high with moss and lichen clinging to its pockets for dear life, with bugs hiding in cracks from the baking mountain sun.  The arête sweeps up to the right, that baking sun half visible above it, flakes lining the leeward side and that same lichen crawling about like a second skin.  Now and then the rock sweats from the morning moisture, a small drop of water escapes from a crack and streams down, searching this unforgiving  face for a path, that of least resistance, so difficult to find.  Its journey takes it down to a crimp that holds and cradles it, stops it from completing a full descent.  Travelling down is so easy.  Yes, the rock is so beautiful.  But I know that beauty isn’t its only forte.  It is dangerous, rough, unforgiving.  The soft moss and lichen covers sharp pinches, the shade of the arête hides the cruel, jagged nature of the flakes.  A pebble falls, possibly dislodged by some small animal or insect, and sails by my head to shatter at my feet.  A warning.  “Go away!” it says.  “Many have tried before” it laughs, “Why should you succeed where so many have failed?”  The silent question echoes in my mind and begs for an answer that I cannot provide.  There really is no answer, not a verbal one anyway.  It must be an answer found in action, an answer paid for with sweat and pain.  Such pursuit to find an answer is daunting, a massive task that I expect few ever dare to undertake.  Those that walk away can’t be blamed, they simply don’t see why this is so important.  Those that fall and fail, they can’t be blamed either.  They tried, at the very least.  I wonder where I will rank among the many who have faced the crag.  Am I going to turn and walk away?  It would be so easy.  But now, I don’t think I will.  I will stay.  I will try, I will find the answer put to me, regardless of the difficulty I face.  If I fail I can always try again, and again if need be.  I know that in the end, I will have what I came for.  The rock is not an obstacle in my path, I see that now.  The rock is my path, with its twists and turns, forks, and cruxes.  This is why I’m here, what I came for, what I will yearn for once I leave.  I glance around, breathe, test my footing and clear my head.  I reach up; I plant a foot and begin, knowing that in the end, I will ascend higher than I ever have before.