Mountain Misery

My feet hurt
My head pounds
My lungs burn
My legs buckle
I’m cold…now hot…now cold

Why do I do this?
Man! Can I do this?
The sky looks wrong
Was that thunder?

My stomach feels funny
This is harder than I remember
People do fall, you know
Yep, I’m gonna get rained on

OK, on the top
But far from done
Only halfway, you know
Down is harder than up
I just want this to be done

Long slog to the trailhead
*Trip*
(Stupid rocks!)
I’m out of water
Most people are never this tired

Mountain misery
I love it!
I can’t wait to be miserable again!
I’m never so happy as when I’m miserable
In the mountains!

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Postscript:

Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park — our “restoration area.”

Five hikes/climbs so far:

July 23: A nighttime hike of Twin Sisters mountain with all seven of us. On the summit at 10:00 p.m. and down by midnight. That was fun.

July 24: A leisurely hike through Wild Basin.

July 25: Philip and I did Desolation Peaks — but only the lower summit. The approaching storm forced us to abandon our pursuit of the true summit. Pretty hard.

July 26: Otis via Lake Hiayaha (not the standard route!) with a glissade down Andrew’s Glacier. With me on Otis day were: Peri, Caleb, Ashlie and Philip. I’m sure Peri will have something to say about this little adventure on her blog.

July 28: Longs Peak. My ninth climb and eighth summit. There were twelve of us who started this fantastic climb at 2:00 a.m. (11 Word of Lifers and my good friend Pastor Joe Beach from Denver.) Everyone did well and special congratulations to the 9 summiters and especially the six first-timers.

Read Peri’s account of Longs Peak day HERE.

I’ll have pictures for you sometime later.

Yesterday we went down the hill and I preached in Denver at Amazing Grace Church (Pastor Joe Beach).

Tomorrow Peri, Philip and I head into Glacier Gorge for three nights of camping, hiking and climbing in the backcountry.

TOMORROW.

That’s the title and theme for the mountain-born message I’ll be preaching next Sunday.

I’ll see you then.

Now, into the mountains!

BZ