By nature, I’m a bit of a workaholic, so when there was a legal long weekend here in Australia celebrating the Queen’s birthday (even though it wasn’t her birth date), I made a point of asking my husband if we could go on a hike. This way, I could pencil it into my diary and look forward to a fun Monday off. I believe fun days are as important as work days. Thank G‑d, my husband feels the same way.

My husband, Moish, takes hiking quite seriously. He usually comes armed with a compass, a camel pack (a backpack filled with water), hiking boots, a rain jacket … you get the gist. I’m more of a laid-back hiker. I wear comfortable shoes and just make sure I have lots of healthy snacks since I love to eat along the way.

We chose to hike Weribbee Gorge with its gorgeous waterfalls. We left around midday, which wasn’t exactly the plan, but that’s life. At least we got out while the sun was shining!

There were two options for the hike: the long walk, which is five hours, or the short walk, which is about two-and-a-half hours. Since it was close to 2 p.m., we decided on the short walk.

I should have remembered from prior visits that there are two parking lots, and they are hard to find. But it was not at the forefront of my mind. I was just overjoyed to be out in nature, enjoying the beautiful world that G‑d created. It was bliss. We saw lots of small and medium waterfalls, and lots of lush trees and flowers.

The first 1.5 hours of the walk was downhill, really easy. The second half was a bit harder, as it was uphill. By then, the sun had disappeared, and it wasn’t so bright and cheerful anymore. But thank G‑d, I was in good company, had plenty to eat and lots to sing about. By the third hour, I said to my husband, "Shouldn’t we have reached the parking lot by now?”

I must be rubbing off on my husband because he left his compass at home. However, he replied with conviction: “My gut tells me to continue, and we will probably reach the parking lot soon.”

We walked another 20 minutes and passed an emergency-services car. We stopped them and asked about the location of the parking lot. The man replied, “Oh, you have gone completely the wrong way; it’s all the way on the other side.” And then he told us to be careful, as a man had just fallen and gotten badly hurt.

I was a bit shaken up, but I tried to stay positive. By that time, we had walked so far that we had entered private property. “Excuse me,” I screamed to someone from a distance, “do you know where the Weribbee Gorge car park is?”

“If you pay me, I’ll tell you,” he replied. That got me nervous. He then said, “Just follow this fence, and it’s all the way down there.”

Moish wanted to make it easy for us so he decided that the best plan would be to follow the fence. The only problem was that on our side of the fence, there were thick prickly shrubs. So he decided that we should jump the fence to the smoother path. At this point, I was not a happy hiker, but I was still trying to be a good sport and stay positive. I gingerly got over the prickly shrubs and then worried that the fence would electrocute me.

I started to complain bitterly. My husband gently reminded me to stop looking for problems and focus on the red ambulance down below because that was where we needed to go.

I then thought of the famous Chassidic tale of Reb Mendel Futerfas, a Chassid who was imprisoned in Soviet Russia for teaching Judaism. One of his fellow inmates was a tightrope walker, and he once asked him how he crosses the space on the thin rope without being scared or falling off.

The tightrope walker revealed, “I don’t look up or down, backwards or sideways. My eyes are always focused only on the rope that is ahead of me.”

This thought calmed me down. Just look ahead and keep focused on my destination, I told myself. And then another Chassidic story popped into my head. When the Baal Shemtov’s father was dying, the last words he told his son were, “My child, fear nothing but G‑d alone.”

Fear no one but G‑d.

I kept repeating to myself, ein od milvado—“There is nothing but G‑d.” The world and all its contents exist only by virtue of the fact that G‑d is constantly creating them. G‑d and only G‑d is in charge! I channeled my inner strength, and slowly, we got down the mountain (an hour later) and finally reached our car. It wasn’t exactly the hike I envisioned, but the lesson I learned was worth it.

Always keep your eyes looking forward and know that G‑d has got your back. Pray to G‑d. He will help you in your time of need.