“A Rewarding Journey” – George Henning

Several years ago while on a business trip to Ireland I went on a hike in the countryside. A tourist guide touting this particular trail noted the extraordinary beauty of the area but indicated that a portion of the trail went through a bog. I knew what a bog was but I had no real idea of the challenge of hiking through it. The afternoon was overcast and misty but the beauty of the area lived up to its description. Quickly, however, I discovered the difficulty of hiking through a bog; with each step my boots were swallowed up in the muck. Plodding forward was difficult and quite different from my expectations. I was relieved to reach firm ground. The mud on my clothing left a permanent reminder of this outing. Once on firm ground, I quickly picked up my pace only to come upon another bog. What a disappointment! I wasn’t quite sure how difficult the remainder of the hike would be, but I knew turning back would be difficult so I continued slogging ahead on my journey. Looking back, the hike covered only a couple of miles; nevertheless, it was one of the more difficult and memorable hikes I have taken.

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