Recently our family, with the aid of our guard/guide, hiked the mountain that we admire every day. It is situated just behind our house, literally within walking distance. We took along several PBT friends and between all of us we had quite a group...an 8 year old, a 10 year old, 2 in their 20's, 2 in their 30's, 1 in his 40's and 1 in her 50's. Of course, we all over-packed. We carried lots of water, food for lunch on the mountain, first-aid supplies, cameras, etc. I'm sure we looked ridiculous to the locals.
It was amazing to see the way the people live on the mountain - the stepped farms, the mud huts, people walking barefoot down the trails carrying heavy loads on their heads. These are some of the toughest people I've ever encountered, and the kindest. Nearly all of them stopped to greet us along the way. One man warned us that the trail ahead was muddy, worried that we would slip and fall. Children and old women were passing us left and right as we struggled to climb the steep trails. This is their home. They walk these trails every day, multiple times. They carry the food that they grow down the mountain to sell it to anyone in town who's interested. We even passed by the little village where the men who come to our gate live and saw one of them outside relaxing. He recognized us, smiled and waved. 
I thought we were seasoned hikers, but this was a very difficult hike. The trails were often little more than a trench dug out by water running down the mountain. The foliage was very dense. The trails were incredibly steep. These people don't waste time taking the easy route; they go via the most direct one which is usually straight up. I was exhausted by the time we made it to the waterfall and stopped to eat. But after some food and a rest we were all ready to make our way home. I was so proud of our children. They didn't slow us down a bit. In fact, if anyone slowed us down...it was me