I began to be restless as the slightest bit of light from the sun peaked over the horizon line many miles away. You know that light blue feeling you get from inside the tent? That is about what it was like when I opened my eyes...for the first time. When I finally sat up and decided to start my day it was 6:30... I picked my clothes for this day carefully because A) I was hiking and B) I could wear whatever clothes deemed disrespectful by society ( and they were rightfully so)...
There was a hole in the jeans i chose, starting with the inseam and stretching almost to the outseam and 4 inches in width and two inches from my crotch. It was a massive hole, with one, not so large, on the other side. I also chose to wear a shirt from an organization I am in at college...even away from the campus it makes me feel cool....perhaps cooler. I put my shoes and socks on and stepped out into the tent, it was a whole new world of beauty, and I would trade that morning for anything I have in life. After getting over the beauty I packed my brand new day pack, which I continue to admire as I pack my pocket bible, moleskin, safety blanket, anorak, and small pipe into my bag. I fill a nalgene with water and deleted some photos of yesterday's picture to make room for today's. When I was fully prepared I calmly strolled out of our tiny camping civilization through the parking lot and onto the little road that leads to my morning experience.
I was looking for a small path. Even though I was certainly fine with not finding one and making my own, I found at the foot of 18 mph sign. I began as a steep climb but soon ran into a better path and then to and intersection of paths where I chose to go right (my goal at this point was to see the sun peak over the mountains). The path winding around the mountain and later phizlled out, so I create my own path and headed straight up through a hill with many rocks that form ledges that protruded. Finally with one glass lens fogging up and me cursing it I stopped, sat on a ledged and cleaned my glasses and drank some water. when I started up again, I realized I was only thirty yards from the summit. It was beautiful, I have never seen such layers of mountains and light and clouds. It was just before sunrise so I snapped a few pictures and explored the summit.
I came back just in time and packed my pipe and began to enjoy God creating a new day.
The sun was already up when I heard some twigs and leafs wrestling down below, but there was wind, and rocks i had disturbed on my way up as well as other logical explanations, so I laughed thinking, "oh, how some would be scared." The noise continued, then I saw a tiny mouse run by and I thought, "See, something harmless."
The sight of the mouse was followed by a half-growl/half purr that one would expect would come from a large cat. My heart pounded now, i sat very still, now puffing on my pipe rapidly. Then the scary noise occurred again, this time certainly from the way I had come up. So....I silently emptied my bowl on a rock and tiptoed away from the summit, going a new, unknown way.
Fear had taken over me. I began to realize that a cat would eat me and no one would ever know! I began to move faster questioning why God would lure us into beauty and only to kill us! The mountains and forest were so dangerous. You could die! Thinking more about this I suddenly lost my footing on a rock and gravity began to work against me before I grabbed a dead root that was still firm in the ground.
I heard the purr again only much further away.
Now I could see the part of the camp, but I could also see a bone of what used to be a hiker...I thought...I then declared the world to be a dangerous place! (not because of sin but God just created it that way!) I finally found the path and could see the intersection. My heart still raced.
Now I was thinking about the risk of life, the emotional, physical, spiritual risks of life. Again I decided life is dangerous. Not Christian life, but all life is beautiful, charming, mysterious, and majestic, but scary nonetheless. All of those elements of beauty....those elements can "kill" you. As I approached the intersection the fear was gone. I had decided that a glimpse of the beauty was worth the risk.
"I'm going to go to the left next time," I thought. Admiring the beauty/danger I came to the 18 mph sign, darted across the road and over a couple of logs that made a bridge across the water and right to the sight of my tent. Back to our tiny camping civilization. I grabbed my moleskin and noticed the moon (it was full and beautiful) high in the sky. morning was well under way.
*Every element of life is worth the danger it creates ( and the danger is real)
**in this case, I later realized that the danger was not real, it was bird, whose wings sound like a growl and purr as they flap. Then I thought, life is funny...
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