When you get to the top, will you...
“Wow! Are you guys going to the top,” she asked?
“Yeah, we camped at Thomas Lakes last night so it would be a little easier,” one of the students replied.
As our crew continued past the resting hiker, she asked, “where are you guys from?”
Caleb, one of the leaders, responded, “We are from Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, and those guys are from Rifle. We are part of Youth For Christ in the area.”
“And, you’re taking all these boys up Mt. Sopris?!? Good for you!” She replied.
“Thanks, we’ve got 3 high school and 4 middle school guys on this trip.”
“That’s amazing!”
“Wow! Are you guys going to the top,” she asked?
“Yeah, we camped at Thomas Lakes last night so it would be a little easier,” one of the students replied.
As our crew continued past the resting hiker, she asked, “where are you guys from?”
Caleb, one of the leaders, responded, “We are from Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, and those guys are from Rifle. We are part of Youth For Christ in the area.”
“And, you’re taking all these boys up Mt. Sopris?!? Good for you!” She replied.
“Thanks, we’ve got 3 high school and 4 middle school guys on this trip.”
“That’s amazing!”
We continued up the trail a little quicker than our new hiking friend. The hike between Thomas Lakes and the top of Sopris gains around 2600 feet in about 2.5 miles. Since our larger group would get spread out, our breaks might be longer than an individual hiker. Of course, a group of macho guys on a trip will credit anything else for a slower pace – not that we were trying to win a race or anything. Truth be told, one student suffered from altitude sickness the previous night and was nearly unable to start the hike to the top. While the current attitude remained cheerful and determined, the test had just begun.
As we rested, our hiking friend caught up. In this conversation, she mentioned she was not going to the top but heard that if she went a little ways up the trail that there was a great view over the ridge. Various boys learned the name of her dog. Perhaps the dog was tired or perhaps she is very loyal, she did not care about anyone offering to pet her. This time our hiking friend had a request. All of us continued to meander up a few more feet and Caleb chatted with our trail companion. Like neighbors relate local news and issues, they discussed the recent plight of a young woman who had been involved in a car accident. The car accident resulted in coma and the situation seemed bleak.
Our hiking friend requested that when we get to the top that we would pray that the young lady would open her eyes and be able to acknowledge her family.
Together we arrived at that rumored ridge view. Collectively awestruck, we lingered for a moment longer. As we carried on, Caleb and I (Zac) assured her we would pray for the young lady at the top.
Mt. Sopris is not a Colorado 14er.
However, it can be argued that it’s the tallest mountain in Colorado. Because the elevation from the valley bottom to the summit is greater than that of any of the 14ers. So I’ve heard… Certainly, many 14ers are a much easier ascent. Shortly after the first ridge view, the trail transitioned to a steeper pitch and then to a scree slope. Recognizing attitudes shifting , Caleb and I told riddles to distract the mind. Conversation regulated the pace and fostered breaks that kept the group together. Someone banged their shin after a loose rock tossed them into another. Someone else ran out of water. Someone else felt woozy after looking over an edge but gained confidence with a hiking stick. Another young man blazed ahead. And we all enjoyed sharing some snacks on a shoulder of tundra where we could see the lake we camped near and the looming peak. It was the last soft ground before ascended another 1000 ft in about a mile. Another hiker, William, caught up to us on this shoulder, as we began to head up.
As the trail brought us to the back side of Mt Sopris, we felt the wind from the west. On this hot day it felt refreshing. The scree slope presented options like a choose your own adventure book yet all the trails in general led the same way. However, if the wind was too strong you usually could find a path that went along the more northern side of the ridge and get out of the wind. Our crew became more separated. The wind made it more difficult for us to communicate. Our trailblazer hardly looked back. He was chilling at the summit for several minutes by the time the next guy arrived. Within a half hour all of us celebrated our accomplishment with Pb&j sandwiches, whatever hefty power bar each of us had, and for many of us, a couple swallows of water. William arrived at the summit with us, so of course, we took pictures for each other. Since he needed to descend all the way, he departed before us. I confess, I started to get ready to descend – at least in my mind. I think others were thinking the same way, when Caleb reminded us that we said we would pray. He prayed a simple prayer that included the plea that victim of the car crash would open her eyes and be able to respond to her family and that God be glorified in her situation no mater what. That God’s will be done in the situation and that there would be peace.
Caleb and I reminded our friends that going down will be easier because you just don’t get gassed. However, it can be more dangerous and they need to stay focused and watch their steps. And… let’s stick together more on the way down. We did stop to get some snow, to attempt melting it and treating it. Water motivated our descent not only for a full bottle, but also a nice cool dip in the lake beckoned us…
At this point in this story, it’s clear that the focus is on the moment of prayer. However, if you asked one of our middle school friends about their trip. You might not hear about the prayer at all. You might hear about the Cut Throat Trout they caught. Or how beautiful the stars were by the lake after we shared life stories by the campfire where a high schooler saw his second and third shooting star. However, the nighttime photography didn’t turn out as amazing as we hoped. And, If you’re wondering, the one lake has Cut Throat Trout, but the other is full of mud puppies. Most importantly, you might learn about the last thing we did after breaking camp the next morning. One of the high school boys asked to be baptized in Thomas Lake before we headed down!
Meanwhile… a couple days after the boys greeted their parents in the church parking lot, Caleb discovered on a local social media group an update on the young lady in the car crash. It didn’t say much about opening her eyes, but it did say
she was walking!
Was our small group on the top of Mt Sopris a key prayer? Certainly we were not the only ones praying for her. Either way, for us and our young friends this moment helps unite moments of awe and wonder in the woods and on the mountain into our real, hectic, and distracting world. A reminder that God, in His grandeur and splendor, cares for and hears us!