(Written by Jill Ziegler and posted at her request)
So far the hardest thing I have had to do physically is hike up this mountain. I have never hiked a day in my life. Thus why climbing up this thing was incredibly difficult for me. Aside from the incredible tired that came, heat and thirst, it was beautiful and the company wasn’t bad either.
On the way up, terri and I talked about many things. We discussed Andrew and I, why it took seven years for us to get together, and our mutual devastation. Upon reaching the top, I wanted nothing more than a nap. I was exhausted but we still had to go back down. We sat and rested. Talking about the last year and how we got through it.
We scoped out a good place to scatter the ashes and climbed up it. We stood side-by-side, teetering on these boulders. My hands were shaking as I pried the lid off the jar. I had never done this before either. We stood there not saying a word as I flung the ashes out over the mountainside. Terri and I turned to each other and just hugged and cried.
On the way down, I knew Andrew would be proud of me for stepping outside my comfort zone and doing this with his sister. As hard as it was for me to get to the top, I knew I had to. I couldn’t just drop the ashes anywhere else. It was amazing and an experience I would not trade for anything.
