When I was a child, the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend was special. We would gather at church to celebrate the great nation we had the privilege to live in. We would sing songs like the "Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America." My favorite, though, was always "America the Beautiful." It made us proud to be Americans living in a land of warmth, respect and riches: spacious skies, amber waves of grain, purple mountains' majesty, fruited plains and shining seas. As I've grown older and traveled, I am fortunate to have seen America's glory, both from the sky and from the ground. There have been so many moments when I realize the beauty that Katharine Lee Bates witnessed when she penned the words to the song. Caught up in the glory and beauty of a mountaintop across from me or the sparkling of a lake in the dusk sun.

So, this weekend, instead of jostling through security lines and toting luggage through an airport, I climbed a mountain.

Colorado has been blessed with over 50 "fourteeners" -- mountains over 14,000' tall. (It's unfortunate I don't get 14,000 United miles for climbing one, though!) After camping at the base, my friends and I scaled the shailed slope of Mt. Sherman to face the whipping winds and slippery snow patches. But it was worth it. Have you ever heard of John Muir? One of my favorite quotes of his is this:

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

That's what it was to climb this mountain. Perched on the top overlooking a lake and the surrounding mountain ranges, I was overcome with how glorious it all was. I sat and peered... and peered... and peered. Is it possible to take it all in?! One custom climbers have is to write their names in a waterproof bag at the top of the peak. One climber noted his feelings of exhiliration as "Excelsis Deo". I couldn't agree more. It truly was Glorious.