A couple of weeks ago we were hiking along the Emerald Pools Trail in Zion National Park. This hike is one of my favorites as it takes you along the Virgin River where Mount Zion and Castle Dome meet together offering you breathtaking sceneries and amazing viewpoints. As you can guess from the name of the trail, there are some pools of water involved along the way. Upper Emerald Pool feeds into the Middle and then Lower Emerald Pool. The green vegetation against the red rock and waterfalls is amazing.

Along the trail from the Zion Lodge towards Lower Emerald Pool, something caught our eye. A large pine tree that looked like it was holding onto the side of the mountain. The roots for this tree are mostly exposed and shoot almost entirely horizontale into the mountain. Entangled within the root system is a massive boulder that has turned into an anchor for this tree. You can tell from just looking at this tree that water erosion is the culprit. This tree is doing everything it possibly can to be straight, tall, and strong. And it’s doing an amazing job!

As we go through life, sometimes erosion takes some of our personal foundations out from under us. Maybe you or someone you know has been diagnosed with an illness… sometimes we have disasters hit our neighborhoods… Recently our family lost an amazing father and grandfather. As we go through hard times, find something to hold on tight to. This could be your family members, your scout pack or troop, your neighbors, community, and religion. Whatever your anchor is, always hold on tight to it. In the case of our tree in Zion National Park, it continues to hold on tight to the mountain side. Even though it's going through a challenging time, it still continues to grow and stretch its branches towards the sunlight. As we go through our own challenging times, let us be like this giant pine that is continually doing it’s best.