C.S.
Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory:
“We want something else
which can hardly be put into words – to be united with the beauty we see, to
pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become a part of
it… We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us
fresh and pure…”
Mount Baker is THE mountain to visit in the lower mainland, as it proudly towers
above the little towns that color the flat land below with grids of pavements. The upward climb to the mountain top
commences with a seemingly circling road, and a sense of the mountain’s greatness
lingers in the crisp air no matter what the season. I remember making this journey with dear
friends in September as the leaves on the trees at the base of the mountain
were beginning to change. We were as sojourners
seeking to find our freedom on the rocky cathedral; the mountain became a
viaduct to a serenity, sadly forgotten or unknown to most.
Arriving at our first destination, we escaped
the confines of the car and beheld our playground. We climbed for hours as mist swirled around, momentarily
making mountain peaks disappear. The clean
air filled my lungs rapidly while I climbed up, passing crystal lakes, and
rugged terrain covered by cloudy skies. A portion of our pilgrimage led us through
fields that appeared to be on fire with red heather. They seemingly glowed against the grey and
green terrain, and the pale white sky. My
dear friend reflected on C.S. Lewis as we slowly walked, and quoted from The Weight of Glory, discussing the visceral
longing to hold onto this beauty. Becoming
still, we stood silently in awe of what we overlooked. The glacial lake seemed to be made of crystal
as the majesty of the mountains that neighbored and the blue skies above were
reflected flawlessly. This image was engrained in my memory that day. For this experience was the most recent in which
I felt a desire so strongly to be connected somehow to what I saw and felt
around me. The day was a humble hike
that drew my heart closer to the creator.
“…when human souls have become as perfect in voluntary obedience, then they
will put on its glory or rather that greater glory of which nature is the first
sketch.” –C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory
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