The sun was setting over the forested mountain in Sichuan. The famous golden Buddha Statue stood somewhere at the top and the three of us were lost and exhausted in the trees facing an endless flight of stairs.
Our original plan was to hike the whole day and settle into a temple before sunset. The evening came and we saw no temple for miles.
It was dark now, monkeys and mosquitos were known to be near. Neither was known to be friendly. Sleeping outside didn’t seem like a good idea. The other option was to skip sleep.
The forest became quiet but the sound of our steps. Stars were multiplying in the sky. I pointed my phone’s flashlight toward the stairs and occasionally through the darkness of the trees.
Kieran kept quiet and walked up diligently like he had octopus legs. TJ was the hyper-planner of the group. This was not in his plan.
Suddenly, in the middle of the dark endless stairway, we saw a blue cloud of fireflies. It was magical. We slowly walked through in awe as little flies turned off and on.
Shortly passed that, there was a pair of glowing eyes in the distance on the stairs. I pointed my flashlight at it and it was a cat. It seemed friendly and was a sign of residence nearby. Our spirits lifted.
The cat turned around and we followed it up. We arrived at a big Buddhist temple. We all took a big breath of relief. TJ knocked on the door and a lady let us in. Luckily they had vacant rooms. The beds were hard but better than the forest floor.
The next morning we had porridge in a big rustic kitchen. We continued toward the golden Buddha, 3000meters high, surrounded by the thick whiteness of clouds. Up there Kieran said, “everyone is just living their lives.”
Arya Salehi is a friend of uncertainty, helping leaders foster trust and create impactful relationships.