Beverley McLachlin is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the first woman in Canadian history to be appointed to this position.

Put one foot before the other. Do so with energy and purpose. But never lose sight of the beauty of the world around you or the dream that is driving you.

A few years ago, I took a hiking trip in the Lake District in the northwest corner of England.

I had come to explore the fabled region where Wordsworth wrote most of his poetry, and to relax. I gained that and something more — a new insight into life.

I had expected pleasant and undemanding strolls; what I encountered were wild hikes and challenging climbs. Having grown up in the high foothills of Alberta and lived much of my life in British Columbia, this struck me as a bonus, and I flung myself into the project. No path seemed too remote, no mountain too high; I wanted to do them all, I decided.

The reality proved more sobering. On my first trek, I found myself struggling to the apex of a peak called Loughrigg Fell. The sun was shining and the air was fine, if — or so it seemed to my unconditioned lungs — a little thin. Finally I gained the top of the mountain and, exhausted, found a stone where I could sit and catch my breath, before starting the descent.

Alone on my stone, I looked up and saw spread before me a new valley whose existence I had not imagined, shimmering green, and far below the intense blue of a lake, with what must be the village of Grasmere tucked to one side. I sat silent, in rapt concentration.

Suddenly my solitude was disturbed, as a pair of trekkers pulled up beside me. “Did you see the spectacular views on the way up?”, the man asked.

The woman with him heaved herself over the last ledge to the summit and replied in an exhausted Scottish brogue, “The only view I got is the view o’ me boots.”

We all laughed. But later I reflected on the truth that emerged from that moment. I too had spent too much time during the climb on the mechanics of putting one boot ahead of the other, and not enough on the big picture — the beauty of the peaks and valleys and the joy of being part of the world around me.

I had focused too much on the view of my boots and too little on where those boots were taking me and the vistas beyond. Even as a teenager, I had believed that life was more than accomplishing an assigned set of tasks, more than just getting through the day. I had from time to time, immersed myself in the beauties of literature, art and music. And I had from time to time thought about where life would take me, what adventures might lie ahead, if only I could find the right path and climb it.

I also recognized that the times in my life when I seemed merely to be passing time, the times that were hued grey or black in my memory, were times when I had forgotten to look at the larger picture, and lost my bearings in the struggle of doing what was expected, instead of what I truly valued. It was then that I had strayed from the path. To my great good fortune — good fortune that seemed like a series of miracles to me as I reflected on these matters during my Lake District stay — I had always found my way back onto the right path. An encounter or a caring person had helped to steer me back.

This then is the truth I learned. The climb is not worth the effort if you look only at your boots. By all means, proceed. Put one foot before the other. Do so with energy and purpose. But never lose sight of the beauty of the world around you or the dream that is driving you. Always and ever, keep the big picture firmly in your sights.

For This I Believe I am Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada, in Ottawa.