The Map Keeps Growing

[Verse 1] You cinched your pack at the trailhead sign Checked the map where the river bends The first mile climbed through a stand of pine And the town fell quiet around the bend You found your pace on the granite grade Counted switchbacks, then lost the count Every ledge was a promise made Every step put the ridge in reach [Pre-Chorus] When the path split wide, you chose the stone Trusted the mark that the wild had drawn [Chorus] Higher, higher, the ridgeline calls Past the tough ground, past the tall walls One more turn and the whole world opens Blue peaks rolling beyond the pines You came to see what your legs could do Now every new trail is a way through Higher, higher, you lift your eyes And the map keeps growing beneath the sky [Verse 2] A narrow footbridge crossed the meltwater A pair of ravens rode the air You laughed when the loose shale shifted Found your footing, kept climbing there At the fork, the old route circled back But a faint path ran toward the pass You took the line where the markers thinned And stepped into a wider view [Pre-Chorus] When the path split wide, you chose the stone Trusted the mark that the wild had drawn [Chorus] Higher, higher, the ridgeline calls Past the tough ground, past the tall walls One more turn and the whole world opens Blue peaks rolling beyond the pines You came to see what your legs could do Now every new trail is a way through Higher, higher, you lift your eyes And the map keeps growing beneath the sky [Bridge] At the summit cairn, you signed your name Beside the hands that had passed before Not as a finish, not as a claim Just proof there was another door Then down the far side, the trail ran new Through open meadows, bright and steep The best part wasn't reaching the top It was finding the road beneath your feet [Final chorus] Higher, higher, the ridgeline calls Past the tough ground, past the tall walls One more turn and the whole world opens Blue peaks rolling beyond the pines You came to see what your legs could do Now every new trail is a way through Higher, higher, you lift your eyes And the map keeps growing beneath the sky [Outro] The map keeps growing beneath the sky One more path, one more reason to climb