Easy is Boring!

Two weeks ago, Chris and I spent two days skiing the early season in Colorado at Keystone and Breckenridge before driving to Michigan to spend time with family over Christmas. And it was amazing to take advantage of the little winter skiing I’ll get this season before heading to Spain. But I think all I needed was two days…

Summer and I along with Chris, Ryan, and Aaron have spent the last three months we’ve had in the United States often enjoying hiking and climbing in the backcountry of the Rockies, trying Class 3 and Class 4 ascents in the plummeting winter temperatures, deepening snowpack and the few hours of daylight available. Using our limited light resources, we soon ended up making sure the most challenging parts of our routes were complete before the sun went down. But much of our time was spent hiking in the darkness, often running through the woods by compass or reading the terrain without a trail, navigating snow that would continually range from just a few inches to over four feet deep.

We only succeeded at two winter ascents out of five, most of the time turning back about 1000 feet below our summits. And although our failure rate was discouraging, I wouldn’t have wanted to try anything else. My leadership skills were tried and developed, and we saw some of the most beautiful and rugged scenery on the edges of cliffs and cornices, often watching sunsets signalling the beginning of our long nights in the woods ahead. I realized that after skiing for two days at developed ski resorts that I want something far more challenging and risky. Five years ago, I thought mountain skiing was my challenge. But now I just want to ski up and down undeveloped mountains. I’ve been engrossed in studying avalanche mechanics and dangers. My hearts longs for the danger, the challenge, the smell of uncertainty. I don’t want trails; I want relationships and challenges that don’t have easy answers.

A few weeks ago while attempting Longs Peak, Summer and I didn’t see anybody from the time we started at 7 in the morning until we ended after 8 at night. The wind howled and froze our drinking water. Our hands were frozen. We became weary constantly removing and donning our snowshoes. And we were very disheartened at not making our summit by our turn around time. I eventually grew anxious after losing our position in the woods, trying to navigate through downed trees, darkness, and snow for miles while trying to find the trail that would signal just a few remaining miles. But we tried something that most people never will – attempting a non-standard route up and down Longs Peak in the winter.

While Chris and I were skiing, a few runs above the treeline finally opened. We skiied down hard, wind-blown snow that was a few feet deep in some places and completely bare in others. We skiied over brush, through trees, and around rocks through thick powder in some spots and exposed grass in others in blinding snow with wind burning our faces and ears. And although the skiing wasn’t groomed or even often visible, it was perfect – because the path was rugged and undefined.

Perhaps as we get older, we often forget our dreams, become more reserved and even bitter because we haven’t been willing to risk trying and placing our dreams and desires that God has placed on our hearts from the beginning of creation fully in His hands. We say we’re supposed to ‘be responsible’ as we live in the illusion that we are in control. Yet in reality, we are not in control; God is. And when we learn that He truly is good and that we can release all of our desires and burdens to him, then we can truly bring His life and love freely to others.