I Walked Out This Morning and I Wrote Down This Song

After making all of you wait a week for pictures, here is a link to pictures from the week that I spent on Mt. Elbert with a group from Cabot, AR.

This week I decided that instead of providing writing a recap of the week when I returned from the trail I would take a short time each day to write down my thoughts so that they could be presented in a more authentic manner.

7:47 p.m. 6/19/06: We sit at devo tonight in a very beautiful setting. As I look to our west I see the sun setting over the Continental Divide. Snow still clings in large patches to the upper peaks. The creek that runs by the low camp on this mountain is at flood stage. As Tyler and I hiked back from moving the vehicles we stood at the base of the cliff where all of the water squeezes though a narrow chute that is choked with Class-5 whitewater. Even as I sit far away from the creek its roar still reaches my ears like the rumble of a distant train. This trip marks my 5th trip towards the top of Mt. Elbert via the Black Cloud trail. As I sit here, I remember trips with my mom and sister in 2000, Otter Creek in 2003, Central from Amarillo and Southern Hills in 2004, and now with Cabot, AR and the guys from Abilene in 2006. I cannot wait to see what the week holds…

7:07 p.m. 6/20/06: The journey to high camp today was an interesting one. This is the first time this summer that I have had a group really work and struggle together in order to make it to High Camp. Part of what makes me love this High Camp so much is the avalanche field that runs just west of camp. The appeal of the avalanche field is two-fold for me: 1. I am able to have tremendous views of La Plata Peak to the south across the valley and 2. I am able to view the growth of the Aspen trees that have sprouted in the field after the avalanche ran its natural course sometime in the mid to late 90’s. Watching these trees grow has become somewhat of a yearly pastime for me as I have climbed this mountain. The view looking out across the avalanche field is one of the mental snapshots that I will take with me long after I leave this ministry.

2:02 p.m. 6/21/06: A common response to complaints about Texas weather is to simply wait 5 minutes because it will change. The same axiom could be applied to weather in Colorado as well. With about 45 minutes left in solo time, we thought we were about to spend an afternoon in the tents as the heavens opened up with a gift of rain and sleet. As quickly as we had called everyone in from solo, the sun broke through the clouds long enough for a quick wash in the stream that runs near camp. Now, as I sit here it has begun to sleet once again…as soon as I head to the tent, put on my jacket and the pants and head down to the crew flies the rain has ceased once again. I’m not sure what to think about how closely God controls the weather, but I’m beginning to think that he has a sense of humor that enjoys seeing how quickly I can change in and out of my foul weather gear.

2:42 p.m. 6/22/06: Summit Day on the Black Cloud trail is always a difficult and challenging day. Today, we were not able to make it all the way to Elbert proper, but stopped short at South Elbert, which is a 14,000 ft. itself. One of the most difficult parts of this job is making calls on Summit Day. Even when I make what I believe is the right decision about whether or not to continue, it is hard to see the disappointment on the kids’ faces. Who knows? Maybe God is preparing me for future parenting through that lesson. Today marks the 1-month mark since I have seen Heather. Sometimes it seems shorter than that, but often it seems much longer. I miss her more each day and I cannot wait to see her at the end of the summer. Tomorrow, we hike down the Black Cloud trail to return to civilization. This week has not been an extraordinary one, but each day in God’s creation is filled with the promise of new discovery. May I never forget that.