So quite a bit has happened since the last blog. I will start with this climb that we did up Mount Rundle right near the town of Banff because it was the most recent. The climb was really awesome but it was kind of irritating because we had so many set backs that we really didn't hit the trial until 1:00. We left early but then we encountered a triathlon on the highway, really long lines getting into the park, sickness, hunger, fatigue, road blocks, high gas prices ... the list goes on and on
The really funny thing was that the trailhead was literally about 2 minutes from Banff and so you actually get to drive through Banff. Because it was so late by the time we got into Banff we decided just to eat lunch in the town. It was definitely the only hike I have ever done where we started in an air-conditioned, recently renovated, food court in a mall. We walked in with our hiking boots and back packs upto the Subway counter and ordered our food. It was really quite comical. Anyways, right before the hike a member of our party was waiting on a bowel movement to relieve some of his pain, 2 minutes into the hike he threw up but because he's such a trooper he kept going.
The hike was pretty crazy, it took us about 5 and a half hours to reach the top, the last bit was up some tough snow and loose rocks after getting out of the tree line. The elevation gain was about 5,000 feet so it might for quite the adventure.
After getting towards the top I was trying to decide what it was about mountains that I love so much. I definitely enjoy the physical test of strength, the beautful views and the fact that you get to go to a somewhat dangerous wilderness where you don't really belong. I've recently thought about how God probably enjoyed making mountains more than he did other places because of it's diversity and the holy sanctuaries that they have been and can be. Anyways, there's some more stuff that I thought about that I won't post on the blog but if anybody has any thoughts about why mountains are so awesome feel free to share them.
The mango of victory that I ate at the top is probably going to become a tradition.
2 comments:
Wow, you've got some really beautiful views there. I think there's something about being so enclosed by nature that awakens our spirits. I always think about how, when there weren't temples to attend, prophets would go up to the tops of mountains to be close to God.
Yea, I agree with the comment Mom made on her post, that we're closest to God while still having our feet on the ground when we're sitting on the top of a mountain. Plus, we get a little taste of His perspective because we really see far and wide from a mountain peak.
Post a Comment