The Cucamonga Wilderness is a National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, that I have been frequenting since the beginning of the pandemic. I have hiked many of the peaks in the surrounding area on my own, and I have recently been tackling the few I haven’t summited.

I had it in mind that morning before leaving my house to climb to the top of Etiwanda Peak. It’s the next mountain to climb after the 11-mile hike leading up to Cucamonga Peak on the Cucamonga Trail. I usually stop at Cucamonga Peak after making it to the top, but a string of complaints and actually filling out a permit at the trailhead drove me farther than I’ve ever hiked along the trail.

A Sheriff was stationed outside the Icehouse Canyon trailhead that morning, so I felt compelled to fill out the permit. I changed my mind sometime before making it to the saddle and after miles of hiking in frigid weather. No snow was on the ground, but it was December, and everyone was bundled in puffy coats, beanies, and gloves. I figured I could just summit Cucamonga Peak once again and turn back around, but I guess I missed my turnoff while complaining about the cold and walked past Etiwanda Peak on the trail.

My thoughts turned from just getting to the top of Cucamonga Peak to bewilderment after another hour of trudging along the trail in the wintry air. I wondered, “Man, there’s no way I haven’t made it to the peak yet,” sure enough, when I looked at the GPS map a mile past my original destination, All Trails asked if I had taken a wrong turn.

The bewilderment shifted to reluctant determination. I was now dedicated to making the steep climbs from the trail to each peak I passed because of circumstance and principle. I ended up summiting Etiwanda and Cucamonga Peak because I was already all the way out there, and I had to pass the turnoff for both peaks on my way back to the heater in my car anyway.

There are many times I find myself in difficult situations, but I become determined to see it through because I’ve already put so much work into overcoming the obstacles. Yes, I still put in extra effort after realizing I wandered further into the wilderness than I wanted to, but it made sense when I realized how far I had already traveled.

That day, I was mad I didn’t stop myself before adding three extra miles to my hike, glad I kind of stuck to my original itinerary even if it was by accident, and not surprised I still went out of my way to leave the trail and hike up and down a couple of mountains on my way home.