I recently joined a challenge to hike 30 miles during the month of July to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I chose to start off the challenge by summiting Mt. Baldy because I hadn’t been up there in a while.

The winter weather this year had steered me away from going all the way up to the top, but the memory of hiking the more challenging route the very first time I reached the summit stayed in my mind long enough for me to complete other hikes I hadn’t done in a while first. Still, I decided to take the Baldy Bowl trail up to the top because I’ve been wanting a challenge lately.

The two most popular trails on the mountain are the slightly easier 13.2-mile Devil’s Backbone trail and the pretty intense 9.6-Baldy Bowl/Ski Hut trail. Both are considered difficult hikes by most GPS apps, but the incline of the shorter hike is brutal if you’re not prepared.

I felt pretty good going straight up 1,000 feet an hour for the first 4 hours of my hike until about half a mile before the summit. It was then that I ran into two guys hiking down the summit who were just realizing how steep the hike down the mountain would be the rest of the way.

One of them said, “Well, we’re already here now,” and they both shrugged their shoulders and kept hiking all the way down the ski hut side of the trail.

I had the same thought go through my head after reaching the summit and proceeding to live life on hard mode. I’m already here in the middle of the steep ridge of this tall mountain, and there is no way I’m turning back to go the normal person’s way down past The Notch. I might as well keep going.

I realized this is often a thought I have when I’m in the middle of something difficult. I’m here now. There’s no turning back any decision I have made. I might as well do my best and continue.

Click here if you would like to donate to the St Jude Children’s Hospital fundraiser.