Sometimes you just want to lie down and take a break for a while. Or simply stop and walk away. It can be something as little as finishing your homework or as large as finishing a lifelong project that you have been working on forever. But you carry on and don’t give up. There have been many times in everybody’s life that feel like this. This is a time when all I wanted to do was quit.

       My friend Maddie and I were out snowboarding. It was only about our third time snowboarding at all, and it was our first time this season. We were both pretty nervous. After a few runs on the bunny hill, we decided to conquer something bigger. So we took the main chair lift up the mountain. “Maddie, if there are no greens open at the top, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.” 

       She responded confidently, “There will be.” So she and I enjoyed the rest of our ride. 

       My brother, Ian, was waiting for us at the top of the lift. 

       “Why did you come up here?” he asked. It turned out that he had texted me not to come up, that there was only an icy, steep blue at the top. But I had left my phone at the lodge. 

       “I guess you were right, Camille,” Maddie sighed. 

       First we had to endure one of the most annoying things in skiing or snowboarding, the flat start, which is as endless as the universe. We undid one foot and scooted along until the ground started to drop away. Then we sat down and buckled in. 

       The first part wasn’t so bad; it was more of a green than a blue. I was beginning to think this trail would be alright, and we would arrive at the bottom unscathed. We emerged out of the trees into a wider part of the trail. Here it got a lot steeper, and I glanced at my brother with dread. 

       “Don’t worry, it gets worse,” he said. I frowned. It was a lot easier for him since he was skiing and was used to going down blues and blacks. So I slowly skidded down. Maddie was behind me for most of this part, so at some points I waited for her. Ian slid over to me. “The trail branches into two later on, make sure to stay on the left. There is a black on the right.” 

       “We will,” I responded. Then he turned and whizzed down the mountain. I glanced over my shoulder. Maddie was close behind me. I started back down, going slow and zigzagging a little. I watched as experienced snowboarders and skiers, speeding and shredding, flew down the mountain around me. I turned a slight corner, and bam, there it was. My eyes widened, witnessing the monstrosity in front of me. To my inexperienced snowboarding eyes, the trail seemed to drop away in front of me. The other black route connected with ours at this point. I looked at the snow. It was a grayish-blue. Ice. 

       I had the sudden urge to unclip my snowboard and walk down. But that would be way too embarrassing. I sighed. Eyes wide and fearful, I tipped the edge of my snowboard downhill. I was barely moving, but I still fell quickly. I continued, going bit by bit. After one particularly bad fall, I had to sit for a second. I really wished I had stayed on the friendly bunny hill.

       Just then, a skier sped by me. At the last second they braced against the edge of their skis, spraying snow in my direction. I stared in shock as they raced down the mountain. They threw a malicious look back at me. I groaned and got back up, now showered with snow. I edged along a little, but it seemed I couldn’t stay up for more than a few seconds. Maddie passed me, going way faster. I was on the side of the trail where it would make sense for there to be more powder, but it was all icy. The ice seemed to stretch on forever. The bottom of the board grated along the rigid ground. My muscles ached from constantly pushing myself up. People kept on rushing past me, people who actually belonged on a blue/black trail.

       I was almost at the bottom now. Taking over the ice were hard clumps of snow. My board bumped over them, shuddering and quaking. I reached Maddie and Ian, feeling like I could collapse. 

       “Let’s go and get lunch in the lodge,” Maddie said. I nodded, and we walked back to the lodge, put our snowboards away, and entered. We got soda, chicken, and fries. Then we sat back down and dug in. 

       “That was something,” I said. Maddie agreed. It had been a long and incredibly challenging trip. I was so glad the perilous journey was over, and I could relax for a bit. I was also glad that I had not given up and stuck it through.

       That difficult day was a prime example of not giving up. I hated the whole ride down, but I kept going, even when other people tried to slow me down or discourage me. And no matter how slow I was moving, I didn’t stop. I powered through, as many other people do every day. So no matter what other people say or do, keep moving forward. 

-Camille W.