As I woke up from a night sleeping on a cold, hard tarp, I tried to remember why I was so excited. We got to go home today? No. We got to meet up with the green group? No. Did we get to go rock climbing today? Yes! Today was the day my whole eighth grade class had been waiting for on this Kanuga trip; we got to go rock climbing. The trip consisted of backpacking for four days in the Pisgah National Forest with a group of ten friends from school, two teachers, and two leaders. I got up from my sleeping bag, hiked across the stream to go to the bathroom, hiked back, took down our tent, and ate breakfast. Today was the earliest morning of all since we had to get to the rock climbing spot. We all hiked with a faster tempo than usual until we reached the spot. Two by two, the group took turns climbing the 5.6 grade rock. As people finished, I could see  smiles and pride on their face. I was finally up; last but not least, or so I thought. Most of the group accomplished the goal: get to the top. I had no doubt I could do it, until I started. I kept trying and trying, but I kept slipping. As time went on, the crowd started to dwindle out. I was getting close to the top and insisted on finishing. I could see the top. Two more steps, one more step, I reached the top. The bright and colorful view was amazing. I was filled with pride. As I belayed down the rock, I got to the bottom to only realize that most people had gone to have a snack and only a few actually saw what I had accomplished. I started to get disappointed; I was filled with sadness and embarrassment. But then I realized that I didn’t persevere for them; I did it for myself, and that's all that mattered. Perseverance is a necessity to life and it was in this moment that I realized the importance of it: I can do anything I set my mind to.  I had looked forward to going to Kanuga since first grade; therefore, I accomplished the feat for myself first, not others. Kanuga challenged me by being gone for a week, sleeping in the woods for 3 nights, and hiking nonstop for 4 days. However, I wish I could go back just for one more week, and I would not trade the experience for anything.