Sunrise on Whitney!



Sunrise on the way to Mt. Whitney!

When you hit the trail at 4:00 am or was it 3:30?, and you walk in predawn darkness with nothing but the sights and sounds you can perceive with a headlamp and the closeness of companions as you head up, up, up, the only thing that is really on your mind, is your pace, will altitude take you out and will it be this dark when you return? Then as the day progresses and the nights starts disintegrating into day you pick up your little camera, and what your eye perceives, you hope it catches! It was there in the dark, and the flash spoils it, so you turn off the flash, fiddle with gloved thumbs and catch something to take home. You can't take the experience back, but when you reach out and capture a moment of God's gesture of beauty it brings back the moment, the emotion, the knowing life is important; it can save you later on! I trained for months, I was in the best physical shape of my life and Christ helped me that day to do something some people can never accomplish. Am I a mountain climber?, in the broadest sense yes, because I have been on the top of mountains, not in the narrow sense though, no ropes, chalks or desire to tackle sheer walls and I do not enjoy precipice's or dangling my legs over the edge, but I do enjoy the view! Hiking through mountains, over mountains and the smell of  pine forest is a joy for me, which challenges and draws me closer to my maker, it inspires confidence and reminds you of your vulnerability. It is something you can do solo and enjoy but it seems to be enjoyed even more when shared with others, because you just can't convey to those who were not with you, the same thing, even though I am sure that each person has a different perception, a different message with each passing step. It is important to know, that when I am alone on a walk, I am not really alone, I have a companion who sticks close, he never outpaces me, and when I tire, he sits with me and waits while I recover, and when my feet bleed, and yes, they have bled, he understands my pain and keeps me going. So while friends may fail you, he never will. Show me the path home, I am very weary, I am not sure if I will make it to the next rise, bring me through the pass over the trail summit and then to the peak as you have done before!

Whitney trail summit!

Whitney summit!