Sunday 21 July 2013

Thursday, July 18th: A mountaintop experience

by Khalil & Evana

On the third day, our group set out on our first hike: Flat Top Mountain. The hike had been highly recommended, however we had been warned by our host youth group that it could get difficult. We found out later that our Alaskan friends were right, the mountain was a challenge for us all. Not only was the hike tough, but near the end we had a very scary and eye-opening encounter with a black bear! We will not be forgetting this experience anytime soon!

After the hike, we all piled in the van and set out for Denali National Park. That evening near out lodging in the park we ate a great dinner at a rustic Alaskan restaurant called the Salmon Bake. All in all, it was a wonderful day, and it will be hard to match.

Khalil’s thoughts:
The hike started off easy, but got harder and harder as we went. Near the top some of us were almost climbing straight up, with very steep slopes all around us! This was an uncomfortable experience for many of us, but we all pushed ourselves to the edge of our comfort zones, which is an important part of pilgrimage. As we broke through the clouds and looked out at Anchorage, the ocean, and countless beautiful mountains, I saw the magnificence and power of the spirit. Hopefully there is more enlightenment to come! I’m eager to get back out into the wilderness, and do some more hiking.
  
Evana’s thoughts J
Flat Top Mountain was an amazing experience for me. It was a lot of fun with my friends as we climbed the mountain and when we reached the top I felt very accomplished in myself. The ride to Denali was a bit long but once we got there the view was amazing.  For supper we went out to a restaurant called Salmon Bake, and I had the delicious fish and chips. I feel at the end of the day that everyone gave 100% and made me feel growth with the Spirit of God.

























2 comments:

  1. Hey guys!

    Great post. I love the photo of the girls asleep in the van, and Khalil at the top of the mountain with his arms wide open. May you all have spirits that are wide open this whole pilgrimage!

    Your posts are coming a few days after the events themselves, and so could I ask or suggest that you say the date that each post is about (i.e. this post is about Thursday, July 18, not Sunday, July 21).

    Much love to all,
    Wendy

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  2. What a wonderful and amazing day. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. To read the descriptions, to see the photos is so, so wonderful. What a sacred pilgramage. I did a bit of googling and see the sun is not setting til around 11 p.m. or so. Hope you're coping well with the very, very long hours of sunlight. Blessings. G

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