Lesson #9: Climbing a Mountain is No Easy Challenge

My most recent adventure has been climbing Celaque-the tallest mountain in Honduras. Tim and I took on this mountain during Holy Week here in Honduras. Although I knew that climbing Celaque would by no means be easy, I did not quite expect the intensity of this climb. We arrived at the Celaque National Park Visitor Center on Wednesday afternoon. After checking out the map and plotting our course, we began our hike in high spirits. The trail was challenging, but not more than expected. We arrived at the first camp earlier than expected, so we decided to continue on to the next camp before dark. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the second camp before dark. By this point, the climb had become increasingly difficult and my legs were about to give out beneath me. I was beyond exhausted. Because we did not want to continue literally climbing up rocks in the dark and risk getting hurt or lost, we found the flattest spot that we could find, and took out our sleeping bags. Not only was the ground uncomfortable and uneven, but it began to pour on us and continued to do so all night. The next morning, we knew we needed to continue our hike to the top; so even though we were exhausted and wet, we continued our ascent. Along the way, we passed the camp that we had meant to reach the night before. After hours of climbing up the mountain, we finally reached the top. By this time, I had really begun to doubt whether climbing Celaque really was going to be worth it in the end. When we finally reached the peak, WE COULD SEE NOTHING. The top was covered in clouds and trees. Somehow I've always imagined that climbing a mountain would be difficult, but that the view from the top would make the climb worth it and everything involved in the climb would have meaning and significance. When we got to the top, I felt none of that. I only felt exhaustion and disappointment. Furthermore, giant gnat-sized mosquitoes were eating us alive. After spending time atop Celaque, we began our descent. We couldn't wait to get off the mountain. We were absolutely exhausted. The climb down became tricky because of the rain the previous night. Everything was wet, so we really were just sliding down the mountain. About halfway down the mountain, it again began to pour. We desperately wanted to get off the mountain and there was nowhere to hide from the pouring down rain; so we had to continue sliding down the mountain-turned giant mudslide. After enduring hours of sliding down Celaque in the pouring rain, we finally reached the visitor's center. Every inch of us was soaked-including everything in our backpacks. We were literally shivering. Thankfully, a moto-taxi pulled up soon after our arrival at the visitor's center, and was able to take us to a hotel in town. While descending the mountain in the pouring rain, I realized how only a few minutes hiking in the rain can feel like an eternity. Also, a few minutes climbing uphill (rain or no rain) can feel like an eternity. Time seemed to pass so slowly. It felt as though I'd endured the pain and discomfort for hours.
After having climbed a "real" mountain, I wonder at the expression "mountaintop experience." I felt no sense of victory or real accomplishment at being at the top of the mountain. I find it interesting that many times in the Gospels, the Bible tells us that Jesus would go to the top of a mountain to pray. I had no sense of clarity at the top of Celaque-everything was so cloudy and covered. I couldn't see anything. The real sense of relief came when I finally got off the mountain. It seems as though life isn't so much about the mountaintops and the dark valleys, but just about the climbs life takes us on. In the end, it's good to know that amid the pain and discomfort, God is there.
"I look up to the mountains, does my strength come from the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won 't fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep. God's your Guardian, right at your side to protect you-Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always." -Psalm 121
So, climbing a mountain is no easy challenge; but it's good to know that God protects me and strengthens me amidst life's challenges.