Last weekend I went to the Guadalupe National Park in Texas, it was my first time hiking and it was the most amazing/scary thing I've ever done. Honestly, I never thought I was afraid of heights... until I was 8,751 ft away from the ground. And let me just say, hikers, it is extremely hard and I admire y'all. The whole experience was super fun (including the fact that the tent that I shared with a friend was about to collapse in the middle of the night) and I'd love to do it again. Here are a few things -that apply to life- I realized during my first hiking experience:

1. Don’t get too cocky

I didn't really struggle as I was going up and I started to feel like hiking was my thing, so I figured there was no way climbing down would be hard. HA! Joke’s on you, Maggie. Coming back down was the hardest part of the whole hiking experience, no kidding. Reaching your goals is definitely something you should be proud of, but there’s a fine line between being happy with your achievements and thinking you've got everything under control (Hint: you don't).

2. Take your time

I realized that the key to hiking is going at your own pace. Just because some people pass you by and some others are going faster than you, doesn’t mean that you have to catch up with them. Go at your own pace, take as long as you need and don’t rush into anything.

3. Don’t apologize

I wish I’d known this before I climbed down because all you could hear from me was “Sorry for taking so long,” or “I’m sorry but this is my first time doing this” (and “how far are we?” when I was feeling really tired) until someone told me to stop saying sorry because I was doing great.

Don’t ever apologize for your setbacks, because truly, they’re nobody else’s business. You might not be the very best at what you’re doing, but that doesn’t mean that you’re doing a bad job.

4. It’s ok to rely on others

Believe me, if my friends hadn’t helped me on my way down, I would probably still be up on the summit of the Guadalupe Mountain praying for a helicopter to come rescue me. The thing is I’ve never liked feeling that I have to depend on others to do what I want, which has made becoming more independent one of my biggest goals. However, there are times when you just need to grab someone else’s hand and be thankful for their help.

5. Enjoy the view

If there’s something I regret is not paying attention to the mesmerizing views as I was going down the mountain. Honestly, I was so afraid of falling down that I totally missed out on taking a last view at the amazing picture that was in front of me. So don’t let your fears and obstacles you might face keep you from enjoying the moment.