unfamiliar shoes step out of their car
and onto the path
   the path beaten by the feet of passers before them

the sun shines onto their faces and into their eyes

but they do not seem to care.

their senses are heightened
listening to the serene whistling of birds
inhaling the familiar fragrance of the forest
appreciating the utter beauty of nature itself

they continue to trek through the woods
bounding                 the                      stepping
        atop                scattered                    stones

and climbing the steep rock walls.
smiles hide their fatigue
enduring the exhaustion makes the reward all the greater
for when they finally reach the top,
                                       the peak,
                                       the pinnacle of their tiresome journey
there are expansive mountainous ranges as far as the eye can see,
where rivers look like mere streams,
and where the hikers tower over the trees
everyone, with eyes wide and mouths agape,
takes a moment to embrace the serenity of it all

In awe.