The experience of this last "mtn climb" was quite a wild adventure though...and one I don't think I'll soon be forgetting...or repeating!
The day dawned bright and clear and promised to be perfect for hiking. After a hearty breakfast, we set out energetically for Palm Springs in Season's sporty SUV. Geared with Camelbacks, Hiking poles, and enough food to feed an army (or at least several hungry girls), we felt like real "Mountain women" ready for adventure!!
As we got closer to Palm Springs, we could see the mtn top that we planned to scale. It rose more than 10,000 feet from the desert floor, and it's peak (a stark contrast to the brown around) was covered in snow and glistened in the early morning rays of sunshine. Even if there was snow, it didn't bother us. We were enthusiastic and ready for the challenge.
Our final destination was the "Aerial Tramway" to the Mtn Top Visitor's Center on Mt. San Jacinto. (This would be the 2nd time I've ridden the tram in the last 2 weeks!) But this time, rather than just walking the short little trails around the Visitor's center, we headed off down the trail past the sign that announced "Wilderness Area - must have Pass to hike past this point." We had the pass, and our destination was San Jacinto Peak - 10,834 feet!
At first the trail was easy...and any snow that lay around had been cleared away. But then we crossed a small creek and headed up a hill...a hill that had obviously not received as much sun and was still covered in snow. Others had gone ahead though, and so we plodded along stepping in the foot steps that had already been carved into the mountainside. Even though we were walking in snow, the temperature was great...and we were not cold at all. However, as we got further up the trail, we passed different hikers stopping to rest. Some had ice-picks and huge back packs as if they planned to "stay out" awhile. They asked us where we were going. "To the peak!" we energetically replied. "Do you have crampons?" they'd ask. "No!" we replied. (I didn't even know what crampons were. But now I know. They are the shoes that have sharp pointy things on the bottom so you can walk on ice/snow without slipping or sliding!) "We're going up there too, but you probably wont make it very far without the gear..." the other hikers* cautioned. But we trudged fearlessly on.
I'd been up the trail several times before, so even though it was hard at times to stay on track as the snow got deeper and deeper...I knew the direction we were heading, and I had a map, so we kept going! I knew that WE could make it!!!!
Somewhere about halfway up the valley, we met a middle-aged gentlemen that was lost. We weren't lost, so we directed him in the proper way and headed on...soon leaving him panting and huffing behind. Up we climbed....pretty soon we had no footsteps to follow at all, but still I was confident...I knew where we were going! I pointed out land-marks to the girls, and kept my eyes open for different things that alerted me that we were still on track.
"We're sooo glad you're leading us Melody!" the girls piped up! "We wouldn't even attempt this if you didn't know the way! We can tell you're a real hiker women...and so it's not scary to be following you!" I laughed at their comments. But as time went on, and we climbed higher, I began to pray that I wasn't leading them astray. The map helped, but it wasn't detailed enough for me to know if we were still on track. We came out on a ridge that I thought I recognized, but then I expected the trail to cut back to the right and head up the mtn...and I couldn't find it. So, praying...I set out once again blazing my own trail. As the mtn got steeper and the brush thicker, I knew we couldn't keep going unless we found a trail. We kept falling through the snow and cutting our legs on the brush, and it was getting to be impossible going. I kept praying silently, not wanting to make the girls panic. But I was growing increasingly concerned, and as the leader in the group, began to think more seriously about it all. "What if I can't find the trail up the side of this mountain...We still have many miles to go to get to the peak! Or worse yet, what if we get stuck up here and have to spend the night in the snow! Is this wise to keep going forward??"
We kept struggling upward, but progress was slow. Thankfully we had our hiking poles to help us not slide around and lose our balance in the snow, and even though our feet were soaked and we kept falling in holes, the temperature remained comfortable. We stopped on some warm rocks for a breather and ate a snack, surveying our progress. Even though I didn't want to worry Season and Vanessa, I told them, "I'm not sure where the trail is, and we really need to find it if we're going to be able to keep going! Why don't we pray!" So we did! I can only imagine God's amusement at our plight...yet I imagine He was also looking down in tenderness and love. The verse from Isa 30:21 flashed through my mind: "And thine hears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way...walk ye in it!"
We set out again. The going was tough, and the common jabber of our girl-friend talk went silent. I think we were all concerned and praying! "If we don't make it to the top by 3pm, we're turning around!" I told the girls, "Or we may get stuck up here on the mountain in the dark! And we don't want THAT!!!" They agreed. I pushed ahead, searching for the trail that would be hidden in the snow..."Is it here? Is it still higher?.....hmmm....it seems when I remember climbing this mountain we had a better view of that clearing down in the valley. I think I need to be higher up still...." I mused to myself as I searched and prayed. Finally, I stumbled across a solid line of snow slowly twisting its way up the mountain! The snow that covered the trail I was looking for!!! Breathing a sigh of relief I yelled to the girls below. "I found it!!! I found it!!! God answered our prayer! I found it!!!"
Now, although the going was still tough, we no longer had to fight through brush...we just had to stay on our feet and keep going! Praise the Lord. And so the hike continued... two more times we lost our way, and two more times God answered our prayer and brought us back to the trail again. By 3pm we had not made it to the top, but we were sooo close that I knew we couldn't turn back. So while energy was waning, we pressed eagerly forward!
Just coming down from the peak were two hikers clad in long pants and coats, with professional ice-hacking gear, and of course wearing....you guessed it..."Crampons." They looked at us in almost startled surprise. We found out that one of them was from "Alaska"...and you could tell by her "get-up" that she travelled prepared. Here we were, three crazy girls...wearing shorts and tank tops, and shoes that were hardly more than glorified tennis. I can only imagine what they thought! But that didn't matter, because WE HAD MADE IT!!! We were at the top!!
By this time it was 3:30, and we had been hiking for over 4 hours trying to get to the top! (The 12 mile round trip usually takes no more than 5hrs total, so I knew we had to hustle if we were going to make it back by dark!) We enjoyed a few minutes of the glory of being on the top of the world, ate a quick snack, took some pictures, then headed down. At least slipping and sliding down the mountain was faster than slipping and sliding up it!!! ;-)
Thankfully, we made good progress, and this time did not waste time looking for the trail. Although it was often lost to sight, I knew now where we were headed and kept my eyes on the landmarks I'd used coming up. Besides falling in the ice a couple times, and getting more soaked, and cutting our legs up a bit more...we literally plowed down the mountain with our hiking poles! It was awesome!!!
Two hours later, with tongues hanging out, we dragged into the Mountain Visitor Center where our adventure had started. Some hikers asked us where we'd been. "To the peak!" we replied. "No way? You went to the peak like that?" We laughed. "Yep, we did!" "The ranger said you couldn't make it without Crampons!" they insisted. We just shrugged. "Well, we made it without them." Soon, everyone was talking, and as we boarded the tram for the ride back to the valley everyone had questions. Some even took pictures of us! I had to laugh...it was almost like we were "celebrity's" or something.
Yes, we had made it!!! But...none of it would have happened if God hadn't taken care of us and seen us through...despite my stubbornness to keep walking when caution began to tell me otherwise!
It was an exhilarating adventure...one I wouldn't attempt again...but one that I'm glad that I had. And it is one I will always remember!! You wouldn't think an Arkansas girl could get lost in the snow...in Southern CA! But think again...even here I am learning to take nature seriously!! (Especially when it's at an elevation above 10,000 feet!!!!)
As we drove home with the setting sun before us, I thought about the adventure of the day...What lessons had I learned and what would I take with me for future climbs??
- It pays to have a goal and know where you are going...You may get lost, but if you look up and see that goal, you can get back on track again! (I'm reminded of the quote, "Those that aim for nothing usually hit it every time...")
- It pays to watch the signs around you!! (landmarks and signs of the times all tell us something important! We should be taking heed!)
- It pays to have strength from lots of hikes and training before. If we hadn't been hiking and jogging and making exercise a way-of-life for months before...we couldn't have just gone out and climbed that mountain! We'd have been huffing and puffing and struggling with the first little hill!! (So our spiritual muscles of faith are also strengthened!!! We have to use them and build them if they are going to stand the big mountain ahead of us!)
- Determination and optimism go a long way! We could have been grumbling and crying as we fought through the snow, but instead we were laughing and enjoying ourselves...at least most of the time! (Seeing trials as opportunities to grow and gain greater joy make all the difference in the world in how life goes!)
- A detailed map really helps the journey. This we didn't have...yet I am reminded that for the real journey called LIFE...God has given us a map! And it (The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy) is filled with details, if we will only take time to read it! So many people are wandering around lost in this world because they've never read the map...some even have the map sitting in their homes...but it only collects dust. How much good will it do if we don't read it, study it, memorize it....and really take it to heart?? ;-(
- Ultimately, it pays not to trust in ourselves, our map reading ability, or even in our "Crampons." We have to trust in our ultimate guide...Jesus Christ! No matter how well prepared we are, or how much experience we have, we're all humans...and humans fail!!! The only one that never fails is God. We may not always understand what God is doing...but He will not fail!!
- The small miracles that God worked for us out on this mountain are only glimpses of the larger miracles that He wants to work in our every day lives. Are we willing to trust Him? If so, how are we seeking to trust Him now? Are we really preparing to make the summit called "Heaven." It's a pretty big prize to gamble losing, simply because we want to do things "our way."
- Finally...it seems that often times the distractions of life cover up the trail that God has for us to walk, just like the snow covered the path to the top! Often, because of these distractions, we lose our way. But we don't have to stay lost! All we have to do is turn back to Him...
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths..." Prov 3:6
*Incidentally, we never again passed any of the other hikers that said they were going to the peak. I only hope they didn't get lost on the mountain! But then...I guess if they did get lost, at least they had their "Crampons." ;-)
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