I love creation. Mountains, valleys, rocks and flora soothe my eyes and refresh my soul. I’m not surprised Moses met God on a mountain, or that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray and was transfigured on a mountain. I know God is everywhere, but I feel like the world gets quiet enough and my focus is clearer on a mountain.
My Mum died when I was thirty years old and I know I climbed Little Horn at Cradle Mountain and cried out my grief on it (quite loudly to my daughter’s surprise), knowing I was heard, understood, and loved by my Father God. I climbed Cathedral rock on my last, very sad, wedding anniversary and built a cairn and wept. Mountains have always been precious and significant to me. Of course they’re not just sad spots, but exhilarating and awe inspiring as well.
Last week I took a few days Long-Service leave and took on Frenchmans Cap in the West of Tasmania. It’s a four day walk with two, very basic huts, to stay in. I saw it last year on a trip to Strahan and thought I’d love to walk it. You have to carry all your clothes, bedding, tent, food, cooking equipment and anything else you may need. My pack was about fifteen kilos. I set out, with a group of four friends, ready for the challenge. I didn’t read too much about it and I remember last week, the day before I left, Ed Moroni chatted to me about it and told me it was one of the harder Tassie bushwalks. I felt a little disquiet, but I was committed and off I went.
The first day was fifteen kilometres through incredibly beautiful bush. There are two swing bridges and two quite arduous and long ascents. It’s the first day carrying your pack and it feels incredibly long and tiring. At the end of the first day you are rewarded with a cute little hut beside Lake Vera and large sleeping platforms to set yourself up on. The second day was mind-blowing. You only travel around six kilometres, but most of it is up. There are hundreds of steps, rock ledges, boulders, ladders, roots, logs and mountain sides to walk, climb and scamper over with your pack on! I found it extremely challenging.
“So, why the long bushwalk description? I think it’s a perfect metaphor for life.”
About two kilometres in I fell, face first, over a large rock. I landed on my arm and chest, but was then pushed heavily forwards with the weight of the pack. I ended up with my face stopping about 15cm from a large ugly rock. My right forearm took the brunt of it and was cut, grazed and instantly puffed up in a large bruise. Luckily my friends were nearby, and they could help. I was shaken and sore. The rest of the walk to the next hut at Lake Tahune was incredibly challenging. My fall had robbed my confidence and made every step a little harder. My mind went into overdrive worrying about my fitness, my balance, my agility, my madness at even trying to complete this walk. It also started raining, which seemed to match my mood and make everything a little harder. We reached the hut around 2pm, dropped our packs and set out on the summit track. I made it to North Col, about halfway up, just below Lion Rock. The non-stop rain and my fall made me cautious. Three of my friends did manage to summit, but I still believe they were slightly mad to do so in the conditions.
The next morning we started the long trek out in magnificent blue sky conditions. That was when I got to feel the exhilaration of being in the mountains and pride in what I had achieved. The Tasmanian wilderness is so amazing! We are so blessed to be able to go out into it. I love the Alpine Flora. All the amazing plants that survive in such rough conditions. They look like beautifully planted, meditative gardens which just ooze serenity. God feels so close and life and all its little worries, fall into mountain perspective and ease. Our final day was long, but the knowledge I was leaving my mountain home, made me cherish each moment.
So, why the long bushwalk description? I think it’s a perfect metaphor for life. A long journey with lots of trials and maybe even falls, but one we have no choice but to continue and hopefully learn from. Sometimes the rain falls, and sometimes it’s sunny. Our confidence can be taken from us, but with time and one step in front of the other, it will return. Others will go beyond us, and that’s okay, we are to walk our path not theirs. This world is both spectacularly amazing and frighteningly dangerous. We need to find the track and let others support us when we fall. Most of all, we need to know the Creator, let Him guide us and hold us and whisper His truth into our hearts.
May this Summer be one where you and your family take time to stop and wonder at both this incredible world God has created, and His incredible love and plans for you.
Blessings,
Annie Joy — Acting Head of Teaching and Learning