Did you ever feel like quitting? No. There’s a subtle distinction between hardship and amusement, and I more often assumed the latter. My age was an asset. I was old enough to realize the limits of my time, and I was in no rush to abandon an experience for which I might not have another opportunity. I always saw the trying moments as a component of the endeavor; they never defined it. I wanted the difficulties to end, not my hike. The times when continuing my hike was questionable due to injury strengthened my desire to finish.
