On the Side of a Mountain

Several days ago, I went backpacking with six other people that, excluding my brother, were complete strangers. We went hiking through a mountain forest in the middle of nowhere west of Colorado Springs. It was remarkable spending five whole days with people I never knew before. You learn to get along with everybody very quickly, for a shower is an unavailable convenience and the only lavatory is behind that tree a hundred yards from the group. The accompanying counsellors taught us how to use a compass, backpack, set up shelter, and the basics of survival in the wild with nothing but what you carry on your back.


With no showers, no deodorant, no nice beds or meals, and no toilet paper (the group forget to pack the tp, requiring us to acquire the skill of finding leaves and grass having strategically soft qualities) I felt more human than I have in a long time. I smelled like a human again. It is so cliche, but I was more sensitive to nature. Indeed, experiencing the unrestricted influence of the elements let me experience, too briefly I might add, the mysterious side of God. Think about talking about the unseen parts of God while under the light of the stars twinkling, a sign of their listening. Think about talking about talking about your dreams with another Follower while overlooking a city at night, allowing the wind to whip your back embracing. What profound experiences!

Yet, it was by myself that I was most aware of God and the holiness of the ground. While in Israel, I questioned the idea of a real "holy land" in God's eyes. Surely, all the land, all of his creation is sacred. Yet, when I was placed on the side of a mountain, literally on a cliff, I was sensing an overwhelming movement whispering in my senses. I felt biblical. To describe the event I would write,

"In the evening, after a day's traveling, Adam was led up onto the side of a cliff deep in the mountains. God spoke to him, saying..."

Moses, Elijah, David, and Jesus all found mountains to be a place of refuge and transformation. A reaffimation of their life's mission was found on the side of a mountain. So are mountains holy? I want to say yes. I was comforted while I walked in the land, I was reaffirmed and overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings. I spent almost four hours by myself with God and the mountain, reading, praying, meditating. The time was too short. Words grind as I try to articulate what happened. God was not done talking, I would say. That much I know. How encouraging!

So go to the side of a mountain, and just listen. Feel peace again. Be human again.