Life

I have not been this sore for a long time...but its a good feeling, one that indicates not only how out of shape I am, but that through grueling hours of hiking, often wanting to give up, I had persevered and attained the goal. I imagine its somewhat on a similar plane to the sentiment Paul shares with us in Philippians, Hebrews and 2 Timothy. To run, with patience, not giving up but persevering through it all, not because we are without hope but rather because our hope is sure. I had hoped that once we reached the summit, the sunrise would be spectacular. It was anything but spectacular. Yet, the grandeur of the site, being able to see the north and the south coasts of the island from one perch high in the sky, the peaks and valleys of the entire mountain range...it was all worth it. It was't exactly what I had expected it, but it was awe inspiring and demanded worship of our Awesome God.

We began our hike up a little before 5pm, and arrived at base camp about 10pm. We crashed for a couple hours before tackling the remaining leg, a 3+ hour trek, allowing us to arrive at 5am to catch the glimpse of a rising sun. After soaking in the view for an hour, we began our descent at 6am sharp, arriving back at our bus at 11:57am, ready for a shower, some food and a warm bed!