I believe I was created in the image of God. (See Genesis 1:26-27) I believe that means that God has arms and hands and legs and feet and a head and that you can touch all that, just like you can touch me. And should you wonder about the male / female issue, I believe God has a wife. But I started wondering about the little stuff a few days ago. Like, does God have capillaries? Does he have all the same muscles and tendons I do? How about an appendix? Or did he have that taken out?
I recently read - well, listened to on CD - Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. Catchy title, huh? The author gets injured out running and decides to ignore the advice of the sports podiatrists to just give it up. He starts researching injuries and runners and races and shoes and methods. It helps that he's a journalist and get paid to do this sort of thing. Anyway, it grabbed me at the first, almost lost me in the middle but I'm glad I persevered because the best was yet to come. He delved into some research that scientists have done into how the human body is uniquely evolved for distance runnning. I won't go into it all here and since I listened to it I don't actually have a hard copy to refer to BUT, they talk about ligaments and tendons and muscles and physiological traits that lend themselves to that idea. Like the fact that we have this tendon (I think it was a tendon) that's only purpose is to hold our head still while we run. Serves no other purpose. I found it fascinating. I found it evidence that God knew exactly what he was doing when he created us. Like Alma said, "all things denote there is a God" (see Alma 30:44). We are amazing! Seriously.
Which led me to this thought. If we were designed to be "running men", does that mean we are children of a "Running God"? Like I asked at the beginning, does He (and his wife) have all those same ligaments and tendons and muscles and physiological traits? I'm guessing yes. We are created in the image of God. So.
What does that tell me about the nature of God? Is it significant that He is a Running God? And what does it mean for me to be a child of that God? I dunno. I think there's something there though. Something that communicates the significance and importance of our bodies. Something that implies what a sacred gift that body is and the importance of caring for that body. Something about the joy that it brings to an eternal soul to be a spirit united with a perfect body for eternity.
Thoughts?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Part 3 in which I make it to the top AND back down!
The previous year on Mt. Adams, I had made the mistake of thinking that instant oatmeal would be appealing after sleeping in a tent high on the mountain. This year, I carried my homemade granola up and actually had breakfast before starting the climb. A happy way to start the day! I packed a small day pack with a few clothing items for warmth on top, snacks and water and was ready to set out.
Right above camp, we embarked on a series of switchbacks. I did not count them but sources give numbers between 95 - 100 switchbacks from Trail Camp up to Trail Crest Ridge. It was a gorgeous morning, we had a good trail, and we were on our way to the top. We were way past any large vegetation but there were these clumps of wonderful purple flowers that really brightened up the rocky trail. I believe they are sky pilots. Very cool! Like God had planted them there just to make my day happier!
Other than the flowers and the occasional pika, it was pretty much rocks. That might lead you to believe that the scenery was ugly or boring but such was not the case. The views were absolutely breathtaking and I loved it all!
From Trail Camp to Trail Crest was 2.2 miles and we gained 1620'. Not too steep but consistently upward. At Trail Crest we were rewarding with amazing views to the west of awesome mountains and beautiful lakes. This was the first spot that I wished my dad were with me. The rest of the time I'd been content to take photos of wildflowers to share with him but this sight... I wanted him to be there with me to capture it and soak it in. Missed you Pop!
At this point most of the climbing to the summit was behind us. We still had 2 miles to go but only about 1000' of elevation gain.
After a refueling stop at Trail Crest, it was on to the summit! Despite being at 13,600', I was not feeling the effects of the elevation at all. I had no problems breathing, had lots of energy, and was soooo happy to be there! Stay fueled, stay hydrated, stay happy!
We were hiking on the west side of the ridge but occasionally windows would open up where we could see back to the east again.
There were other flowers along the way besides sky pilots, although I still think they were my favorites. These are hardy plants with specialized adaptations to help them survive the short growing season and extreme conditions that exist so high up.
There were a few snow fields to cross but many had been there before us so the crossings were not too treacherous.
After the snow field and a brief climb up, the view I'd been longing for appeared. We were almost there! Just a few more rocks to pick our way through...
On top of the world! I didn't have any great revelations but just a feeling of joy and contentment, gratitude and accomplishment. God is great, his creations are many, varied, and amazingly beautiful. And with all He is, and knows, and does, He knew where I was, what I was doing, and He thought it was just as cool as I did.
After plenty of photos, a 2 day old pbj that was not particularly appetizing - but remember my mantra so I ate it anyway, some Pringles and some water, we headed back down. Only 16 miles left for the day! And after all, the summit is only halfway home. Back down at Trail Camp, we broke camp and repacked our backpacks. After hiking with a light daypack, I gotta say the bigger pack wasn't great but it wasn't really all that bad either. 11 miles stood between me and a shower, some huge dinner, and a soft bed. No problem. I was still in awe of the beauty of the place on the way down and loved looking at the granite cliffs and peaks, the beautiful lakes, the constantly interesting trees, and of course, the gorgeous wildflowers.
We summitted around 11, were back down to Trail Camp and packed by 2ish, and back at the car before 6:30. The last couple of miles I do have to admit that my feet starting complaining. Loudly. But nothing to be done about it. I just tried to take bigger steps so my feet would have to hit the ground fewer times. Back at the car, I shed my boots and socks quickly. I half expected to see blood but it was nothing so dramatic. Blisters under 3 toenails from the downhill and a few sore spots. It could have been worse! I didn't wear shoes again for about a week though. And I'm waiting for one toenail to fall off. The others I think will make it.
The order of things once we made it back into Lone Pine - unpack the car, shower, eat a lot of pizza, go to bed.
Life is good. And so is God. :)
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| Sunrise from our camp looking up to where we'll be climbing |
Other than the flowers and the occasional pika, it was pretty much rocks. That might lead you to believe that the scenery was ugly or boring but such was not the case. The views were absolutely breathtaking and I loved it all!
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| The only hand railing on the trail |
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| Love those flowers! They smelled good too! |
At this point most of the climbing to the summit was behind us. We still had 2 miles to go but only about 1000' of elevation gain.
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| The view to the east from Trail Crest. Trail Lake and Consultation Lake below. |
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| Our first view to the west into Sequoia National Park |
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| That was pretty much the trail to the top - rocks!! |
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| Our destination comes into sight - the far peak |
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| Old Man of the Mountain |
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| (Still fueled and hydrated as you'll notice!) |
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| Get to the building and you're at the top! |
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| Just happy to be there! |
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| All of us triumphant! |
We summitted around 11, were back down to Trail Camp and packed by 2ish, and back at the car before 6:30. The last couple of miles I do have to admit that my feet starting complaining. Loudly. But nothing to be done about it. I just tried to take bigger steps so my feet would have to hit the ground fewer times. Back at the car, I shed my boots and socks quickly. I half expected to see blood but it was nothing so dramatic. Blisters under 3 toenails from the downhill and a few sore spots. It could have been worse! I didn't wear shoes again for about a week though. And I'm waiting for one toenail to fall off. The others I think will make it.
The order of things once we made it back into Lone Pine - unpack the car, shower, eat a lot of pizza, go to bed.
Life is good. And so is God. :)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Molehills to Mountains Part 2
Lone Pine Lake was about 2.8 miles into our climb. We started at 8,365' elevation at Whitney Portal. The plan was to get to Trail Camp the first day; 12,040' elevation, 6.3 miles of climbing. I don't know what to say except that I loved it! There was forest, there were a few meadows, there were waterfalls and lakes, there were massive granite mountains all around us and plenteous wildflowers. I followed my plan - stay hydrated, stay fueled, stay happy! And I was happy - every step of the way. Thankful to be there, thankful for the beauty that surrounded us, thankful for my hiking companions, thankful to be enjoying it!
The 6.3 miles to Trail Camp took us a little longer than we had thought it would but no matter, there was no rush! We made it there about 3:00, happily shed our packs, set up camp, rested a bit, and did some exploring.
Getting to camp at 3 means you have plenty of time to do nothing until bedtime. And since sleeping on the ground isn't always the most comfortable thing, you don't really want bedtime to be too early. On the other hand, the sun goes down early and it gets cold. We filtered water to refill our water bottles. We visited with Jill and her son Brendan who had made a summit bid that day. Cut short by the smoke in the air which triggered Brendan's asthma. Big disappointment there! We had dinner while there was still light. This consisted of boiling water and dumping it into foil packets of freeze dried food. We had some sweet and sour pork, teriyaki beef, and I think some sort of chicken. Not that bad really, especially after hiking all day. Dessert was licorice and peanut m&ms. You could do worse!
After wandering off through the rocks to find a suitable potty stop (yeah, no facilities up there!) we zipped ourselves into our tents for the night. I had a good sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and adequate clothing and so was actually fairly comfortable. It was still early - 8:00 maybe - so Lynne and I amused ourselves with my notebook and pencil playing Scripture Mastery Pictionary. Yes, we are scripture nerds. It was actually very fun and we came up with some pretty clever things. By about 9:30 I was really tired and we called it a night. I slept great! For about 4 hours. And then it seemed like I just lightly dozed the rest of the night. I wasn't really cold or uncomfortable, just not sleeping. Probably a bit anxious to be up and climbing the next day, probably some of it just that I was sleeping in a tent (or attempting to) and some of it just the altitude. 12,000' is not a comfortable sleeping altitude for most people.
But the night finally passed and it was time to get up and get moving! To be continued. Again.
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| Lone Pine Lake from above |
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| Waterfall |
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| just a cool dead tree |
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| Mirror Lake |
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| Steve, Lynne and Scott |
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| above timberline |
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| Trailside Meadow |
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| Shooting Stars - some of my favorite flowers! |
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| How's that for a room with a view? |
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| Trail Lake, campsites to the left, looking towards the trail to the top! |
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| Lynne, Steve, Scott, and me by the boys tent |
But the night finally passed and it was time to get up and get moving! To be continued. Again.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Molehills to Mountains Part 1
I returned a week ago from a triumphant tour of Mt. Whitney. Mt. Whitney is in California, rather centralish, and is the highest peak in the lower 48 states with an elevation of 14,505'. I learned a lot of things along my journey and decided to share. So I am entering at last into the world of blogging. I hope it is kind to me!
We, Lynne and I, flew into Las Vegas on July 25, got a rental car, and drove to Lone Pine, CA via Death Valley. On the flight there, I was sooo excited! I had a window seat and was mesmerized by the scenery below. I couldn't focus on reading or sudoku or crossword puzzles so I turned on my MP3 player and added a soundtrack to the passing sights. Sheryl Crow's Light In Your Eyes, several times I must admit. Excerpts from Israel in Egypt by Handel - especially the big triumphant part that I love more than I love the Hallelujah Chorus. The Lord will reign forever and ever for he hath triumphed gloriously! It seemed so appropriate as I observed the wonders spread out below me.
There were 2 men seated next to me and 3 more across the aisle. They were all headed to Vegas for some recreation without the wife and kids and were discussing strategies for being alert enough to enjoy the night life. It sounded like the worst thing in the world. I was so happy that all we were doing was getting a car and getting out of town!
Death Valley was hot and dry. Kind of what you might expect. And so empty. And so quiet. Beautiful with a sense of desolation that seems to be impossible to catch in a photo. We didn't linger long but it was kind of cool to pass through the lowest spot in the nation before ascending to the highest, Mt. Denali excepted.
As we approached Lone Pine, I noticed some smoke in the air. We would become very familiar with that over the next few days. The Lion Wildfire started in the Golden Trout Wilderness area and has since spread into Sequoia National Park and Sequoia National Forest. We weren't near enough to be concerned about flames or having to evacuate but the smoke was always there, sometime thicker than others.
Monday evening involved getting our permits, renting bear cans, meeting up with our climbing companions, dinner, light shopping, dividing up the equipment, and trying to cram it all into our packs. Some explanations: bear cans are not cans to put bears in but bear proof containers for food and toiletries, thus making us uninteresting to the bears. In our experience they were more useful in thwarting the rodents than the bears although they added weight to the packs. My climbing companions consisted of my friend Lynne, her two brothers Scott and Steve, and my friend Jill and her son Brendan.
Then it was a matter of trying to sleep. Despite my excitement previously, night was the time for all my fears to surface. I'd trained well but what if it wasn't enough? What if I didn't feel good? Could I make myself eat enough to keep my energy levels up? Would I have enough snacks? Could I stay hydrated? Did I have enough water bottles? Would I be warm enough? Would I be too hot? And on and on and on.
What it came back to was "trust your training". Words texted to me by my trainer. When I first saw them, I didn't know what she meant by that but it's come to have meaning to me. I did everything I could. I had trained well, I was prepared physically and mentally, there wasn't anything more I could do. All I could do was trust that my best was enough. Trust that hard work I'd done and relax and enjoy the ride. Easy to say, sometimes hard to do but that was my mantra throughout the night. That and "Stay hydrated, stay fueled, stay happy". Made that one up myself. :)
So Tuesday morning, I was maybe not as rested as I would have liked but I was up and excited and ready to go down some carbs before we started off! A big waffle. Mmmm. With peanut butter and syrup. Hadn't indulged in that for a long time!
We packed the car and headed off. The trailhead was 13 miles from Lone Pine. Every foot of elevation gained in the car was a foot of elevation I didn't have to walk up so I was loving the steep drive to the trailhead! Once there, adjusted the packs, last minute potty breaks - use the facilities while they exist! - snapped a few photos, and we started up the trail, still a little cool with the morning.
Switchbacks, right from the start but a great trail with stream crossings and plenteous wild flowers. My favorite feature of my hiking pants? The nice thigh pocket that is perfect for my camera. Once underway, most of my fears evaporated quickly and I just soaked in the beauty of the place which was immense and amazing!
After a couple of hours of climbing, we reached Lone Pine Lake. This would be a great destination for a day hike. So pretty. But we were just passing through. Enjoyed it for a few minutes and onward and upward!
We, Lynne and I, flew into Las Vegas on July 25, got a rental car, and drove to Lone Pine, CA via Death Valley. On the flight there, I was sooo excited! I had a window seat and was mesmerized by the scenery below. I couldn't focus on reading or sudoku or crossword puzzles so I turned on my MP3 player and added a soundtrack to the passing sights. Sheryl Crow's Light In Your Eyes, several times I must admit. Excerpts from Israel in Egypt by Handel - especially the big triumphant part that I love more than I love the Hallelujah Chorus. The Lord will reign forever and ever for he hath triumphed gloriously! It seemed so appropriate as I observed the wonders spread out below me.
There were 2 men seated next to me and 3 more across the aisle. They were all headed to Vegas for some recreation without the wife and kids and were discussing strategies for being alert enough to enjoy the night life. It sounded like the worst thing in the world. I was so happy that all we were doing was getting a car and getting out of town!
Death Valley was hot and dry. Kind of what you might expect. And so empty. And so quiet. Beautiful with a sense of desolation that seems to be impossible to catch in a photo. We didn't linger long but it was kind of cool to pass through the lowest spot in the nation before ascending to the highest, Mt. Denali excepted.
One of the more scenic views of Death Valley
As we approached Lone Pine, I noticed some smoke in the air. We would become very familiar with that over the next few days. The Lion Wildfire started in the Golden Trout Wilderness area and has since spread into Sequoia National Park and Sequoia National Forest. We weren't near enough to be concerned about flames or having to evacuate but the smoke was always there, sometime thicker than others.
Mt. Whitney is the point in the middle
Monday evening involved getting our permits, renting bear cans, meeting up with our climbing companions, dinner, light shopping, dividing up the equipment, and trying to cram it all into our packs. Some explanations: bear cans are not cans to put bears in but bear proof containers for food and toiletries, thus making us uninteresting to the bears. In our experience they were more useful in thwarting the rodents than the bears although they added weight to the packs. My climbing companions consisted of my friend Lynne, her two brothers Scott and Steve, and my friend Jill and her son Brendan.
Then it was a matter of trying to sleep. Despite my excitement previously, night was the time for all my fears to surface. I'd trained well but what if it wasn't enough? What if I didn't feel good? Could I make myself eat enough to keep my energy levels up? Would I have enough snacks? Could I stay hydrated? Did I have enough water bottles? Would I be warm enough? Would I be too hot? And on and on and on.
What it came back to was "trust your training". Words texted to me by my trainer. When I first saw them, I didn't know what she meant by that but it's come to have meaning to me. I did everything I could. I had trained well, I was prepared physically and mentally, there wasn't anything more I could do. All I could do was trust that my best was enough. Trust that hard work I'd done and relax and enjoy the ride. Easy to say, sometimes hard to do but that was my mantra throughout the night. That and "Stay hydrated, stay fueled, stay happy". Made that one up myself. :)
So Tuesday morning, I was maybe not as rested as I would have liked but I was up and excited and ready to go down some carbs before we started off! A big waffle. Mmmm. With peanut butter and syrup. Hadn't indulged in that for a long time!
We packed the car and headed off. The trailhead was 13 miles from Lone Pine. Every foot of elevation gained in the car was a foot of elevation I didn't have to walk up so I was loving the steep drive to the trailhead! Once there, adjusted the packs, last minute potty breaks - use the facilities while they exist! - snapped a few photos, and we started up the trail, still a little cool with the morning.
Only 6 miles to camp!
Switchbacks, right from the start but a great trail with stream crossings and plenteous wild flowers. My favorite feature of my hiking pants? The nice thigh pocket that is perfect for my camera. Once underway, most of my fears evaporated quickly and I just soaked in the beauty of the place which was immense and amazing!
After a couple of hours of climbing, we reached Lone Pine Lake. This would be a great destination for a day hike. So pretty. But we were just passing through. Enjoyed it for a few minutes and onward and upward!
You can just see the lake through the trees
Bristlecone Pines - seriously cool trees
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