Up the Mountain

Photo taken on Mt. Avery 1983, all smiles at the top.  What you don't see is  my brother in-law (taking the picture) or all the highs, lows and in "betweens" that came our way.

Luke 9:33

            Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said.

            Before I was diagnosed with M.S. in 1997, I loved to climb mountains.  My husband and I climbed before we were married, with our children when they were young and then they carried on the tradition without me.  Climbing a mountain is a physical, spiritual all consuming activity.  There are a lot of internal conversations that occur as a climber journeys to the top.

            The most difficult climb I ever took was the fire warden's trail up Mt. Avery.  Now mind you I did not know at the time that the fire warden's trail on any mountain is the quickest way to the top, meaning STRAIGHT UP! 

            My husband Bill, and brother in-law James and I started this climb with our dog, Terrapin, on a beautiful October morning.  Bill announced we would be climbing the fire warden's trail and off we went. The climb was a slow assent, the fall colors were beautiful, the company great.  My internal thoughts were a bit cocky; "this is going to be an easy climb”.  There was plenty of breath for conversation and time to look around the trail. 

            At some point I realized that I had been climbing head down only watching where my feet will go; my breathing was hard and since Bill was way ahead of me I aimed my voice down to James who was behind (this was their way to make sure I was ok, their dad taught them the rules of climbing well) and said "You go ahead, I need to rest".

In return he said "So do I, look up".  When I looked up the side of the mountain was in my face, we were climbing straight up!

            So many thoughts raced through my head at the time, "I won't be able to do it", "what happens now", and finally (though this thought could have been the first middle and last thought) "I am going to kill Bill!"   James was thinking the same first, middle and last thought as well, especially since he now had me to deal with.

            Well once the shock was over, a short lean on a rock and some salami and cheese, we were off.  Down went my head with all my focus on my feet, one step at a time ,up we went.  As we approached the top, there was Bill sitting with the dog and a big smile on his face, we were not smiling.  However anyone who has climbed a mountain knows there is a sweet feeling of accomplishment that is amazing.  Anger was short lived and whoops of delight and the slapping of backs echoed around us.

            We slept in a lean-to that night and awoke in the clouds, we moved slowly as we were locked in.  There was no rush, we were on a mountain after all, and as the clouds lifted we began our travels across the top on the mountain to the next and then descended.  For some the climb down is the hardest, the pounding on the knees, but for me it is like flight.  The trees and rocks are like flashes in the periphery as I take long strides and at times feel myself go airborne.  There are times when going down the mountain the momentum can be hard to stop even if you want to stop.  Stumbles and falls often occur on the way down due to the quick stop when someone yells "Wait!"

            And then suddenly your on the ground, there is the car, the boots are thrown off, backpacks dropped with loud thuds and then it is home again, home again, jiggity jig. What took two days seems like a week and will be the topic of conversation for years and years to come. 

            I think of the disciples climb with Jesus that day. Did they start off thinking it would be easy and then find themselves head down digging in for the hardest climb of their lives.  Of course they didn't want to leave the top, why would they?  And then the descent, freeing, exciting but a bit dangerous. 

            This is our life with Christ; he takes us places we can't imagine for ourselves, places we may feel he tricked us into going, that were much more difficult than we anticipated.  Then there are times when we are so socked in with our faith history, those times when we feel surrounded by all those who believed before us, those fragile moments that are like soap bubbles that pop too quickly.  The journey down unites us all; no one can avoid the trip ups on the way to level ground.  And yet no matter our journey the car awaits, always an opportunity to navigate a new path.