The question at the end of Part 1:
If God can reveal himself in this, one of the most hellish inventions of man, can he reveal himself in any situation?
I think, based on the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 and many
similar stories, the answer is yes...and maybe the more darkness, the
more despair, the more likely it is that God will hear the cry of those
seeking love and peace.
And the questions at the end of Part 2:
How will He make His presence known? A miracle, a divinely ordained leader, a wild-eyed prophet?
How does He make His presence known?
Sometimes through the miraculous, and sometimes by a divinely ordained leader(s), and sometimes by a wild-eyed prophet. But ultimately in Christ, and after the resurrection/ascension...the body of Christ.
You, and me.
November 23, 2014
September 21, 2014
Part 2 - The Christmas Truce of 1914, a Crowder Song, and the Presence of God
After hearing the stories of the atrocities and destruction and death of World War I and then hearing of the beautiful story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, I have concluded that God can make his presence known in the most hellish of situations.
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For a few years I have been very interested in the plight of the unaccompanied immigrant children leaving their homes in Central America and making the perilous journey to the United States. I have been blessed and changed by my involvement in this plight. I have also been frustrated because it seems like we could be doing so much more to help, especially in the suburban church world.
In May of this year, it was as if the media discovered this plight and it became an everyday part of the news. Estimates of 70,000 kids making the perilous journey this year alone, shelters on the border are overflowing, the conditions are horrible, women and small children are becoming part of the story, and on and on...
In June of this year I was in large worship gathering at an affluent mega-church in San Antonio. The worship band played the awesome David Crowder song, "I Am":
My mind is prone to wander during a worship service, it's like it has a mind of its own...as I tried to sing this song and engage in praise with 1000 members or so of my family, I couldn't help but think of the first verse of this song and the thousands of people in the shelters on the border and the countless number of people hiding in the south Texas Brush Country and the countless number of people staging on the Mexican side of the border and the countless number of people riding atop the "Train of Death" through Mexico.
It was easy to feel the love and peace of God in this beautiful gathering, but I wondered:
I think, based on the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 and many similar stories, the answer is yes...and maybe the more darkness, the more despair, the more likely it is that God will hear the cry of those seeking love and peace.
How will He make His presence known? A miracle, an divinely ordained leader, a wild-eyed prophet...
How does He make His presence known?
-------
In May of this year, it was as if the media discovered this plight and it became an everyday part of the news. Estimates of 70,000 kids making the perilous journey this year alone, shelters on the border are overflowing, the conditions are horrible, women and small children are becoming part of the story, and on and on...
In June of this year I was in large worship gathering at an affluent mega-church in San Antonio. The worship band played the awesome David Crowder song, "I Am":
"There's no space that his love can't reach
There's no place that we can't find peace
There's no end to amazing grace
Take me in with your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side."
My mind is prone to wander during a worship service, it's like it has a mind of its own...as I tried to sing this song and engage in praise with 1000 members or so of my family, I couldn't help but think of the first verse of this song and the thousands of people in the shelters on the border and the countless number of people hiding in the south Texas Brush Country and the countless number of people staging on the Mexican side of the border and the countless number of people riding atop the "Train of Death" through Mexico.
It was easy to feel the love and peace of God in this beautiful gathering, but I wondered:
- Can His love reach into the shelters? Can those in the shelters find His peace?
- Can His love reach into the hot and thorny south Texas brush? Can one find peace in that place?
- Can His love reach across the border into the land controlled by the Cartel and Coyote? Can the anxious alien know peace in that place?
- Can God ride atop La Bestia? Can the travelers find peace among the fear and violence on top of the rail cars?
I think, based on the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 and many similar stories, the answer is yes...and maybe the more darkness, the more despair, the more likely it is that God will hear the cry of those seeking love and peace.
How will He make His presence known? A miracle, an divinely ordained leader, a wild-eyed prophet...
How does He make His presence known?
Part 1 - The Christmas Truce of 1914, a Crowder Song and the Presence of God
Part One
The Christmas Truce of 1914
If you love history like I love history, I highly recommend this resource:
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Last week I had the pleasure of listening to 13+ hours of the "Blueprint for Armageddon" series. The first four parts of the series cover the circumstances that led to World War I and its opening battles. Here are descriptions from the four parts:
*a Pandora's Box of violence engulfs the planet *millions of men in dozens of armies vie in the most deadly and complex opening moves of any conflict in world history *trench warfare begins, and with it, all the murderous efforts on both sides to overcome the static defenses *machine guns, barbed wire and millions of artillery shells create industrialized meat grinders at Verdun and the Somme
I have not invested much time studying the World Wars and was shocked at the destruction that we, civilized people in civilized countries, were willing to do to each other for some real estate or an ideology. The conditions that the soldier on the front endured are unimaginable for me. Harold Parry, a Brit Poet/Trench Soldier wrote:
"If these dignitaries could only be sat in the trenches for a wee short space, and made to carry heavy coils of wire for long distances up long communication trenches - blasted by the incessant force of the guns, I could guarantee that their war would not last longer than the time to fix up provisional peace terms."
Over the course of the war there were 37,000,000 casualties. That is roughly 37 times the population of San Antonio. 20,000,000 wounded and 17,000,000 killed. Among the dead, 7,000,000 civilians. Death and injury by cannons, automatic rifle fire, poison gas, malnutrition, and disease. Welcome to the civilized 20th century...or rather, welcome to hell on earth.
Towards the end of the first calendar year of the War there was a series of events that stood in stark contrast to the death and destruction of the first war in this new era of human history. In the early part of December 1914, Pope Benedict the XV begged for a truce between the fighting powers, asking, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." He was referring to the announcement of the angels to the shepherds on the hillsides 1900 years or so earlier:
And the angels were singing in response to the good news of the infant born in Bethlehem, a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.
This attempt by Pope Benedict XV was rejected by the Generals and War Mongers. Little did the Generals and War Mongers know that they were not the final authority. On Christmas Eve of 1914, the German soldiers decorated their trenches with candles and Christmas trees. The decorating was followed by the singing of Christmas Carols, most prominently "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht," or known to us as "Silent Night."
And the next thing you know, peace breaks out all up and down the front as the Germans leave their trenches and the Allied forces leave their trenches and they all gather in the space between called "No Man's Land." No Man's Land becomes Every Man's Land. Christmas Carols were sung, gifts exchanged, soccer played, and the dead buried. This became known as the Christmas Truce of 1914.
Peace erupts in the middle of war, in the season that we celebrate "the Word" becoming flesh and dwelling among us. I would say that God revealed himself during this hellish scenario.
Which leads me to this question:
If God can reveal himself in this, one of the most hellish inventions of man, can he reveal himself in any situation?
And if so, how?
The Christmas Truce of 1914
If you love history like I love history, I highly recommend this resource:
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Last week I had the pleasure of listening to 13+ hours of the "Blueprint for Armageddon" series. The first four parts of the series cover the circumstances that led to World War I and its opening battles. Here are descriptions from the four parts:
*a Pandora's Box of violence engulfs the planet *millions of men in dozens of armies vie in the most deadly and complex opening moves of any conflict in world history *trench warfare begins, and with it, all the murderous efforts on both sides to overcome the static defenses *machine guns, barbed wire and millions of artillery shells create industrialized meat grinders at Verdun and the Somme
I have not invested much time studying the World Wars and was shocked at the destruction that we, civilized people in civilized countries, were willing to do to each other for some real estate or an ideology. The conditions that the soldier on the front endured are unimaginable for me. Harold Parry, a Brit Poet/Trench Soldier wrote:
"If these dignitaries could only be sat in the trenches for a wee short space, and made to carry heavy coils of wire for long distances up long communication trenches - blasted by the incessant force of the guns, I could guarantee that their war would not last longer than the time to fix up provisional peace terms."
Over the course of the war there were 37,000,000 casualties. That is roughly 37 times the population of San Antonio. 20,000,000 wounded and 17,000,000 killed. Among the dead, 7,000,000 civilians. Death and injury by cannons, automatic rifle fire, poison gas, malnutrition, and disease. Welcome to the civilized 20th century...or rather, welcome to hell on earth.
Towards the end of the first calendar year of the War there was a series of events that stood in stark contrast to the death and destruction of the first war in this new era of human history. In the early part of December 1914, Pope Benedict the XV begged for a truce between the fighting powers, asking, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." He was referring to the announcement of the angels to the shepherds on the hillsides 1900 years or so earlier:
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
And the angels were singing in response to the good news of the infant born in Bethlehem, a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.
This attempt by Pope Benedict XV was rejected by the Generals and War Mongers. Little did the Generals and War Mongers know that they were not the final authority. On Christmas Eve of 1914, the German soldiers decorated their trenches with candles and Christmas trees. The decorating was followed by the singing of Christmas Carols, most prominently "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht," or known to us as "Silent Night."
"Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at thy birth
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.
Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven above
Heavenly hosts sing hallelujah
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born."
And the next thing you know, peace breaks out all up and down the front as the Germans leave their trenches and the Allied forces leave their trenches and they all gather in the space between called "No Man's Land." No Man's Land becomes Every Man's Land. Christmas Carols were sung, gifts exchanged, soccer played, and the dead buried. This became known as the Christmas Truce of 1914.
Peace erupts in the middle of war, in the season that we celebrate "the Word" becoming flesh and dwelling among us. I would say that God revealed himself during this hellish scenario.
Which leads me to this question:
If God can reveal himself in this, one of the most hellish inventions of man, can he reveal himself in any situation?
And if so, how?
August 23, 2013
Reconciliation over Ritual
Reconciliation
--------------
Ritual
Matthew 5.23, 24
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."
The Gospel of Matthew (one perspective of the life of Jesus) was written primarily to religious people with very precise rituals. The words offering, gift, and altar would have caught their attention.
But Jesus reveals that restoring a damaged relationship is more important than the ritual. This would have been very refreshing to the average Joe Citizen but very awkward for those involved in the Temple system.
So here's the question for the day - if we practiced this on Sunday morning, how empty would your church be?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reconciled in this sense means to change the mind of someone, renew friendship, a mutual concession, or people in conflict coming together through mutual change.
Additionally, I don't think that Jesus was condemning ritual/religion but trying to restore it to its purpose of helping people love God and love neighbor.
Follow the ways of Jesus!
--------------
Ritual
Matthew 5.23, 24
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."
The Gospel of Matthew (one perspective of the life of Jesus) was written primarily to religious people with very precise rituals. The words offering, gift, and altar would have caught their attention.
But Jesus reveals that restoring a damaged relationship is more important than the ritual. This would have been very refreshing to the average Joe Citizen but very awkward for those involved in the Temple system.
So here's the question for the day - if we practiced this on Sunday morning, how empty would your church be?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reconciled in this sense means to change the mind of someone, renew friendship, a mutual concession, or people in conflict coming together through mutual change.
Additionally, I don't think that Jesus was condemning ritual/religion but trying to restore it to its purpose of helping people love God and love neighbor.
Follow the ways of Jesus!
August 22, 2013
La Plata 7
The Takeaways, or Lessons Learned...
If you can imagine driving across a plowed field perpendicular to the plowed furrows, then you know what it's like to drive on Chaffee County 390 Road. It takes longer to drive the 12 miles of this dirt road than to drive the 30 plus miles through Buena Vista and into Salida...but it's a pretty drive!
Malcolm Muggeridge, English journalist, said, "Every happening, whether great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message." On the quiet ride to Salida with Nic asleep in the passenger seat, I pondered the lessons of the day. At least 3 of these, and possibly all 5 apply to any endeavor in life:
That wraps up my mountain adventure for 2013. We (a specially assembled team) are anticipating the 2014 adventure to Brown's Lake and our assault on Tabeguache Peak, we will stay at Base Camp until we stand on the elusive summit! (did I just say that immediately after writing #5?)
If you can imagine driving across a plowed field perpendicular to the plowed furrows, then you know what it's like to drive on Chaffee County 390 Road. It takes longer to drive the 12 miles of this dirt road than to drive the 30 plus miles through Buena Vista and into Salida...but it's a pretty drive!
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| Wildflowers in the meadow |
Malcolm Muggeridge, English journalist, said, "Every happening, whether great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message." On the quiet ride to Salida with Nic asleep in the passenger seat, I pondered the lessons of the day. At least 3 of these, and possibly all 5 apply to any endeavor in life:
- Prepare Well - Since we don't use technology while navigating it is vital that we are thorough in our research before the trip, and then we must commit our research to memory. I will confess that our prep work was about 95% thorough. Most of our effort was spent researching the basin and the headwall climb to the Southwest Ridge. We neglected the little detail about the "curious fork in the road that meanders to the right." Had we paid attention to this fork in the road, we would have never followed the Fishermen/False Leaders...
- Carefully Chose Who You Follow - they may not be going to the same place as you. I jokingly referred to these unknown guys as the Fishermen/False Leaders, my guess is they are good guys. The blame for this falls directly on our shoulders, since we were 5% lazy on our prep work, we made assumptions that were incorrect and followed them. Oops.
- The Mountain Will Be There Tomorrow - La Plata Peak has existed longer than we can imagine and will be around for a while I think. As such, no need to make rash decisions today, we will get to the top on some other day.
- Images Are Only Two Dimensional - I personally spent hours reading reports of this trail and hours poring over images, memorizing tree lines, landmarks and shapes of ridges. You can spend time learning about something but that knowledge is superficial and incomplete. The completion of that knowledge comes from experiencing the real thing. This has huge implications in the religious world. If you would like more info, I will be happy to discuss.
- We Should Be Willing to Redefine Success and Failure - I write this down nervously because there are at least 12 of my Facebook friends that would call me crazy or a loser for even stating this. I think we have a skewed definition AND an unhealthy infatuation with success in our culture today. In the past, attaining the summit of a mountain is what defined success for me. If we didn't make it, the days following would be agonizing - filled with thoughts of what went wrong, how could we have been so inept, or I must go back out and conquer! I can say with all sincerity that today was one of my most favorite days in the mountains, ever! We didn't make the summit but it was rich in experience.
That wraps up my mountain adventure for 2013. We (a specially assembled team) are anticipating the 2014 adventure to Brown's Lake and our assault on Tabeguache Peak, we will stay at Base Camp until we stand on the elusive summit! (did I just say that immediately after writing #5?)
 | |
| Flowers and drainage from the Correct Basin |
La Plata 6
Down into the basin...
I wasn't able to pick out the trail through the basin from my perch on the crater's rim, so I decided to drop down into the basin to try and find it. Dropping down into the basin is a bit of an understatement, from the rim of the crater it was a 200 feet drop that was very steep. I zigzagged my way down to reduce the angle of descent and quickly made it safely into the basin.
The floor of the basin was covered with dense brush. Finding the game trails and hiking through this stuff is always a little nerve wracking for me...I continually worry about a bear or a wolf lunging out at me from the brush. In reality though, the brush is so thick that a bunny would have difficulty lunging out at me. There were a few areas of the basin free from the brush but these were very swampy and hard to walk through.
I worked my way across the basin and couldn't find the trail. After thirty minutes or so of searching, I make it to the lowest point of the basin, where the creek drains into the valley. I found a large rock to sit on and take a final look back up into this magnificent scene and thank God for this stunning place!
Descent
As I edged over this lip of the basin, I decided to stay on the north side of the creek as I believed that is where the official trail would be. My strategy was the same, zigzag back and forth while descending in hopes of coming across the trail. I quickly had to abandon my strategy as the trail became too steep to allow that option, I had to focus on the descent AND staying mostly upright...
Skiing in July
To say that I was descending is true...one could also use the phrases controlled falling, slip sliding, or skiing in July. The steepness was the main problem (easier going up than down) but add the dry dirt and lack of vegetation because of drought and you get a very difficult trip down. There were many times that I had to sit down, pick a rock or a tree or some target that would stop my descent, and then slide on my posterior. It is a wonder that my pants made it down fully intact.
Unidentified (large) Furry Object (obscured by dense forest)
As mentioned earlier, there was no trace of humanity in this part of the world and no telling how long it had been since human feet had trod in this valley. And this human (me) caused quite a ruckus while going down, a few miniature rock slides, a few expletives, and a lot of dust. About halfway down to the valley I flushed out a UFO from the dense brush twenty yards below me. The brush was so dense that I could not make out what it was but I could see that it was brownish in color. It also seemed very large by the sound of it tearing itself out of the brush trying to escape the foreign creature coming from above. Could have been a bear or an elk, but no worries, I am fairly confident about how to behave in case of an encounter with a bear AND I have an unproven method for dealing with an angry bull elk. So I was ready for anything...
Valley of Familiar Footprints
The second half of my descent was uneventful as I mastered the art of July Downhill Skiing; no encounter with a bear (though I wouldn't mind seeing one) and no testing of the Angry Bull Elk Evasion Technique (ABEET). I emerged into the North Fork of Clear Creek Trail valley with a few abrasion wounds, dusty pants, and two very tired legs.
As I walked on the dusty trail back to the car, I noticed a set of footprints headed the same direction as me. There was only one set, not a pair (the fishermen/false leaders) and the print left by the sole looked very familiar. I began to wonder if Nic had turned back from his summit attempt.
Reunion
I passed by the fishermen/false leaders truck and noticed that the familiar footprints were still on the trail. By now I was fairly certain that Nic would be waiting for me back at the car, a reversal of last year's Tabeguache adventure. When I rounded the corner and spotted the car, I saw Nic sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. When I walked up he said, "I was getting worried and was about to call the sheriff." Yes, an exact reversal of last year.
When we separated at Alan Lake, Nic quickly climbed the cliffs that separated us from the La Plata Basin. At the top, he determined that he couldn't connect with the Southwest Ridge because it would have been far too dangerous without ropes. His other option was to descend into the southern part of the basin several hundred feet, go all the way across the broad basin, and then go up the Southwest Ridge at a safer entry point. This didn't look like a walk in the park from his perspective considering the loose rocks on the descent and the length of the hike to get to the ridge. He was right, I saw this route from the Basin and it looked fairly difficult. So Nic decided to hike back down to the car. He took the direct route and beat me back by at least an hour...
We exchanged stories of our adventures for 15 minutes, then got in the car and headed back to Salida...
A couple of videos that I shot on the leisurely walk back to the car:
I wasn't able to pick out the trail through the basin from my perch on the crater's rim, so I decided to drop down into the basin to try and find it. Dropping down into the basin is a bit of an understatement, from the rim of the crater it was a 200 feet drop that was very steep. I zigzagged my way down to reduce the angle of descent and quickly made it safely into the basin.
The floor of the basin was covered with dense brush. Finding the game trails and hiking through this stuff is always a little nerve wracking for me...I continually worry about a bear or a wolf lunging out at me from the brush. In reality though, the brush is so thick that a bunny would have difficulty lunging out at me. There were a few areas of the basin free from the brush but these were very swampy and hard to walk through.
I worked my way across the basin and couldn't find the trail. After thirty minutes or so of searching, I make it to the lowest point of the basin, where the creek drains into the valley. I found a large rock to sit on and take a final look back up into this magnificent scene and thank God for this stunning place!
Descent
As I edged over this lip of the basin, I decided to stay on the north side of the creek as I believed that is where the official trail would be. My strategy was the same, zigzag back and forth while descending in hopes of coming across the trail. I quickly had to abandon my strategy as the trail became too steep to allow that option, I had to focus on the descent AND staying mostly upright...
Skiing in July
To say that I was descending is true...one could also use the phrases controlled falling, slip sliding, or skiing in July. The steepness was the main problem (easier going up than down) but add the dry dirt and lack of vegetation because of drought and you get a very difficult trip down. There were many times that I had to sit down, pick a rock or a tree or some target that would stop my descent, and then slide on my posterior. It is a wonder that my pants made it down fully intact.
Unidentified (large) Furry Object (obscured by dense forest)
As mentioned earlier, there was no trace of humanity in this part of the world and no telling how long it had been since human feet had trod in this valley. And this human (me) caused quite a ruckus while going down, a few miniature rock slides, a few expletives, and a lot of dust. About halfway down to the valley I flushed out a UFO from the dense brush twenty yards below me. The brush was so dense that I could not make out what it was but I could see that it was brownish in color. It also seemed very large by the sound of it tearing itself out of the brush trying to escape the foreign creature coming from above. Could have been a bear or an elk, but no worries, I am fairly confident about how to behave in case of an encounter with a bear AND I have an unproven method for dealing with an angry bull elk. So I was ready for anything...
Valley of Familiar Footprints
The second half of my descent was uneventful as I mastered the art of July Downhill Skiing; no encounter with a bear (though I wouldn't mind seeing one) and no testing of the Angry Bull Elk Evasion Technique (ABEET). I emerged into the North Fork of Clear Creek Trail valley with a few abrasion wounds, dusty pants, and two very tired legs.
As I walked on the dusty trail back to the car, I noticed a set of footprints headed the same direction as me. There was only one set, not a pair (the fishermen/false leaders) and the print left by the sole looked very familiar. I began to wonder if Nic had turned back from his summit attempt.
 |
| View from the trail back to the east, pyramid peak at right center is Huron Peak |
I passed by the fishermen/false leaders truck and noticed that the familiar footprints were still on the trail. By now I was fairly certain that Nic would be waiting for me back at the car, a reversal of last year's Tabeguache adventure. When I rounded the corner and spotted the car, I saw Nic sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. When I walked up he said, "I was getting worried and was about to call the sheriff." Yes, an exact reversal of last year.
 |
| Nic made it to this ridge... |
We exchanged stories of our adventures for 15 minutes, then got in the car and headed back to Salida...
A couple of videos that I shot on the leisurely walk back to the car:
August 21, 2013
La Plata 5
Decision Time
Standing at the edge of beautiful Alan Lake it became apparent that we had gone too far south to begin our ascent to the basin. The jagged cliffs that loom over the west side of the lake also separate us from the basin due south of La Plata Peak. At this point we had three options:
Separation
Unlike our separation last year, we were able to look each other in the eye and impart words of wisdom as we separated. Nic told me to take my time and be careful going down the steep mountain. I told him not to take any unnecessary risks because many people enjoyed his company and the mountain would still be there on another day. With that, he left to attack the cliffs to the north and I started my descent to the southeast hoping to find a less steep path down to the valley.
Reroute
As I moved slightly down towards the southeast, I began to think (I do my best thinking when alone in the mountains?!?!)...Nic is going to be gone for at least 4 more hours as he climbs the walls protecting Alan Lake, connects with the SW Ridge, summits La Plata, and makes it back down to the car. With all of this extra time on my hands, why not flank these cliffs and enter the basin south of La Plata? Yeah, why not? So I began to move laterally along the base of these cliffs, it was amazingly fun 4 point (hands and feet) scrambling over large boulders! After 45 minutes of scrambling on the boulders, I made it around the flank only to find another flank obscuring the view of the basin and La Plata. It took me another 30 minutes of scrambling but I was finally in view of the CORRECT basin and lovely La Plata Peak!
On the south edge of the basin there is a shallow crater, the rim of this crater is perfectly situated for a broad look at this basin. The only problem was that I had to lose a few hundred feet of elevation and then regain it to get to the crater's edge, a minor problem (says I gasping and wheezing just thinking about that moment).
When I arrived at the highest point of this crater rim, I was overwhelmed. It is intensely beautiful, and expansive, and rugged! I was made to stand at this place! The jagged cliffs that guard Alan Lake now to my south and the broad basin below La Plata was completely laid out before me. Rising above the west end of the basin was the ridge that led up to the peak. La Plata towered majestically over the north side of the basin!
I spent a good amount of time here soaking in the views, taking video, and looking for Nic walking along the jagged ridge. The adrenaline rush that I had at this moment ALMOST convinced me to make a push for the summit. Better judgment took over and I decided against it, the clouds looked like they might be building up for a storm AND I would have to descend several hundred feet into the basin and then regain this altitude. As a flatlander I am not a big fan of giving up elevation once I have attained it...
Solo
As I enjoyed my time up on the crater's rim, I realized that there was no trace of humanity in this place, I was completely alone. No sign of Nic or any other person on the ridge. No people in the expansive basin. No sign of human life as far as I could see. The fishermen were out of sight at Alan Lake in the other basin and may as well have been on the moon. I also realized that because of my obscure route, I was probably one of the few humans (relatively speaking) to stand at this place and see this particular view! It was a good feeling, the road less travelled...
Standing at the edge of beautiful Alan Lake it became apparent that we had gone too far south to begin our ascent to the basin. The jagged cliffs that loom over the west side of the lake also separate us from the basin due south of La Plata Peak. At this point we had three options:
- Go straight up the cliffs and connect with La Plata's SW Ridge or at least get into the right basin and then go up the normal trail. These cliffs were reminiscent of our Tabeguache adventure last summer.
- Go to the base of the cliffs on the north side of Alan Lake and work our way around the flank, working our way into the right basin, or...
- Go back down to the car.
Separation
Unlike our separation last year, we were able to look each other in the eye and impart words of wisdom as we separated. Nic told me to take my time and be careful going down the steep mountain. I told him not to take any unnecessary risks because many people enjoyed his company and the mountain would still be there on another day. With that, he left to attack the cliffs to the north and I started my descent to the southeast hoping to find a less steep path down to the valley.
Reroute
As I moved slightly down towards the southeast, I began to think (I do my best thinking when alone in the mountains?!?!)...Nic is going to be gone for at least 4 more hours as he climbs the walls protecting Alan Lake, connects with the SW Ridge, summits La Plata, and makes it back down to the car. With all of this extra time on my hands, why not flank these cliffs and enter the basin south of La Plata? Yeah, why not? So I began to move laterally along the base of these cliffs, it was amazingly fun 4 point (hands and feet) scrambling over large boulders! After 45 minutes of scrambling on the boulders, I made it around the flank only to find another flank obscuring the view of the basin and La Plata. It took me another 30 minutes of scrambling but I was finally in view of the CORRECT basin and lovely La Plata Peak!
 |
| First view of La Plata and part of the basin, click to enlarge |
On the south edge of the basin there is a shallow crater, the rim of this crater is perfectly situated for a broad look at this basin. The only problem was that I had to lose a few hundred feet of elevation and then regain it to get to the crater's edge, a minor problem (says I gasping and wheezing just thinking about that moment).
When I arrived at the highest point of this crater rim, I was overwhelmed. It is intensely beautiful, and expansive, and rugged! I was made to stand at this place! The jagged cliffs that guard Alan Lake now to my south and the broad basin below La Plata was completely laid out before me. Rising above the west end of the basin was the ridge that led up to the peak. La Plata towered majestically over the north side of the basin!
I spent a good amount of time here soaking in the views, taking video, and looking for Nic walking along the jagged ridge. The adrenaline rush that I had at this moment ALMOST convinced me to make a push for the summit. Better judgment took over and I decided against it, the clouds looked like they might be building up for a storm AND I would have to descend several hundred feet into the basin and then regain this altitude. As a flatlander I am not a big fan of giving up elevation once I have attained it...
Solo
As I enjoyed my time up on the crater's rim, I realized that there was no trace of humanity in this place, I was completely alone. No sign of Nic or any other person on the ridge. No people in the expansive basin. No sign of human life as far as I could see. The fishermen were out of sight at Alan Lake in the other basin and may as well have been on the moon. I also realized that because of my obscure route, I was probably one of the few humans (relatively speaking) to stand at this place and see this particular view! It was a good feeling, the road less travelled...
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