The Best View Comes After the Hardest Climb so Keep Hiking

Hey team! Out here on my deck, it’s a beautiful early morning, and I just wanted to reach out to you guys and talk on this beautiful day about climbing hills. I read this quote, and it reminded me of a story I want to share with you. It says, “The best view comes after the hardest climb.” I don’t know how many of you guys are mountain climbers or hikers, but if you are, you probably know what I’m talking about a little bit.

The best view comes after the hardest climb.

I went on a hike probably 10, 12, maybe even 14 years ago now. We were in Hawaii—my brother Scott and my brother Brian, who was in the Marine Corps at the time. He was stationed at the Marine Corps base on the windward side of Honolulu, called Kaneohe. We went for this hike, and we kept climbing and climbing. It got vertical at points—there were ropes bolted into the side of the cliff, and we were climbing up these ropes, holding on to get to the next level, and then to the next.

Finally, we got to the top, and you could see the entire Kaneohe Bay—360-degree view. We were on this peak, and from there, we could see the valley down on the east side and the entire bay over on the west side. We saw the Marine Corps base, planes coming in to land, the beaches, all of it. It was absolutely stunning. We were even above some of the clouds, with clouds below us. But it was a really tough hike to get to the top.

In life, everything worth anything, and the best views, come after a tough climb. Maybe you’re in that place right now. Maybe you’re climbing something tough, dealing with something hard. A few years ago, most of you know I went through two cancer surgeries, and I just recently had my fifth or sixth PET scan. It came back cancer-free. But that was a tough hike—a tough climb through fear, doubt, and worry. We’ve had a lot of tough hikes since COVID, even within our company, and the best views come through those tough hikes.

We’re still hiking.

We’re still going vertical, and it can be tough. I get a little emotional about it because it is tough. Here recently, I’ve been going through some serious sciatic nerve pain. I haven’t been able to sleep in a bed for over a week, and it has been a tough hike. It’s not easy, but I keep climbing.

I want to encourage you: keep climbing, keep hiking, keep striving. Don’t quit. Resolve sets in, and you can’t quit. You have to keep hiking, because when you get to the top—oh my goodness—what a view! So no matter what you’re going through today, keep hiking. Hold on tight. You’ll get a good breather when you reach that plateau, when you get up there and see that view. You’ll find it’s worth everything you put into it.

Don’t quit. Keep hiking. You can do it! Guys, I hope you know I love you. I think about you every day, I pray for you every day. I thank you for your hard work, your determination, and everything you do within this company for Northwest. So thank you, but keep hiking. Whatever struggle you find yourself in today, just know—keep hiking, keep going. The view is better at the top. It’s worth it.

So go, keep doing it, and remember—let’s be valuable because nothing less will do. Keep hiking. I’ll see you guys next week. God bless you.