“Alright, about 2 hours left now.”
I nodded at Cristi’s words & tried to swallow but my mouth was dry & it hurt my throat. With a deep breath I reached up to turn on my headlamp only to find that it was completely dead.
Great.
At this point we’d already been in the forest at the base of the mountain for about 2 hours in the darkness & the thought of 2 more was a bit overwhelming. The weak beam from my headlight had made my steps in the dark a little more sure, but now I would be completely dependent on others to help me find my way down.
Deep breath.
As it had been for the last few hours, Benny came to my rescue. He shone his phone flashlight at my feet so I could see where to go. I swear that man has mountain goat in his lineage — he walked sideways or backwards most of the time just to help me not fall on my face or down the steep embankments of the mountain forest.
I tried to encourage myself that each step meant that we were closer to camp, but I hated being totally reliant on someone else just to finish a hike that was supposed to be finished hours ago.
Around 0720 we had left on what we thought was going to be a 12 hour hike. There were a bunch of us & we later found out that the guy who does all the mountain rescues had advised Cristi against going — too many people & too many girls is what he had told him. But Cristi was excited to share the mountain with us & though some were more hesitant than others, we were all also excited for a hike after the long days at camp pouring into the kids.
We had been looking at the mountains above our tents all week & they were so gorgeous — I couldn’t believe we would get to hike them! I thought they were part of the Carpathians but it is actually a free standing range called Creasta Pietrei Craiului — the Crest of the King’s Stone in English.
The first part of the hike was more like climbing big hills. Tiring but mostly a dirt path through the uphill woods. It was pretty. We stopped about 1.5 miles up & 3 turned around. I had been pretty far behind but I assured Cristi I had it — I loved hiking, I was just slow. Cristi was super understanding & said he knew I could manage. He then told us there would be one more chance to turn around if we wanted.
I was determined that I’d hike the whole thing, even if I finished way later than everyone else.
At that time I thought way later would maybe be an hour & still before dark.
Some of the girls thought maybe they’d turn back at the next stop. The thing is — Cristi “forgot” to mention when the turn around point was & we all got up to the place of no return before we knew it.
Some weren’t super excited about that.
But we continued on. There were some areas with a ton of loose rocks that got pretty dangerous…when a rock gets dislodged you have to yell “ROCK!!” because it could seriously injure or even kill someone. There were some close calls but everyone made it through okay.
There were 11? places where there were cables to help you get where you have to climb, though we didn’t always choose to use them. I’ll come back to that, but the way up was fairly involved for a hike. Like before, I was way behind but it didn’t bother me much — it kept getting more & more beautiful & I loved it despite being out of breath a lot of the way.
I finally caught up to my people — we were at the peak & it was gorgeous!! It had taken about 5 hours & we loved our view. It was a lunch break & I was glad to just get to rest & enjoy the amazing surroundings. It was truly awesome.
Cristi told us that we were making great time but that we would be continuing across the range for another 2 or 3 hours before the decent.
Now — the notion of walking across the ridges of a mountain range is pretty phenomenal — the idea itself excited my soul & sounded beautiful. But I have to be honest & tell you that I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into at this point. Because a mountain range isn’t just miles of ridges lined up for you to cross — it’s multiple peaks, meaning that you climb down one so that you can climb up the next. It wasn’t — you get to the top & celebrate — instead you get to the top, grin a little, then keep moving because you’ve got others to get to.
Some of the peaks took easier routes than others — sometimes we were straight up just climbing big rocks to find our way there. But each peak was truly the pinnacle of all the work that had just been put in & definitely kept things exciting.
Walking the ridges themselves was a dream — I really loved doing that & even though at times the path was only about a foot wide, it was exciting knowing that one slip could mean serious injury or death. The steep inclines on either side just amped up the adrenaline needed to continue on & it just kind of makes your heart soar to be in such a beautiful place.
Some of my teammates had multiple scary events that they’ve termed near-death, but I have to admit to only one of these happening to me. There was one ridge that goes directly beside the actual highest point of the mountain, so it’s a little tricky to navigate. One point uses a cable & right after the cable you have to duck while remaining on the narrow path.
& I did duck…just not for long enough.
I stood up too soon & my back hit the overcropping rock with enough force to knock me off balance. I teetered on the edge of the path & grasped frantically at the rocks beside me. The mountain below was one of the steepest places we’d climbed & as I recovered my footing I tried to slow my racing heart. Surviving a fall like that would have been unfathomable.
& I thought shark-diving at the end of month 11 was going to be the ultimate adrenaline rush of my life. I might not have knowledgeably picked this option but I was pretty happy to be alive.
So we all had eaten lunch together & then we set off again. I’m an extremely slow hiker & apologized to Cristi again for lagging. He responded just like my brother — encouraging & confident that I would do exactly what I needed to get done.
& I did…just much much slower than the others.
So truthfully, I did a good section of the hike somewhat alone & it was actually pretty great except for the guilt of everybody having to wait for me. At one point I was a slight bit frustrated because some guy in a hat & nice shorts had caught up to me & I felt the pressure of letting him go past me because I was taking too long.
& I tried, but he was content to wait for me.
Some of you have a “creeper!” siren ready to go off, but that’s not the case. He was a guy in his young 20s who had just gotten off a mission trip & was fired up to talk about Jesus. He had done this hike before & encouraged me that he thought I was doing well.
Alright…he could stay.
His name was Chris & he made the hike so much more pleasant. He was super sweet & very open about his life & his story. We shared a lot back & forth about what God had done in our lives & we had a surprisingly similar theme in both our stories. He made a really good friend for such a beautiful journey.
We only had about 3 peaks left before we’d reach the red igloo — the rest stop — preceding the decent. It began raining. Though we were far away, I knew the rest of my team was already there so I had to press onward. When things looked a little iffy Chris would run ahead a bit to make sure it would be safe for us, but God totally took care of us in the rain. & thankfully it wasn’t a big storm, just steady rain that made things a bit slippery.
I was so grateful we weren’t at some of the other places where rain would have made it super dangerous. Chris & I continued forward until we finally came to the red igloo.
At that point I knew that the team had been there for 1-1.5hours resting already & guilt plagued me greatly. I loved this hike but HATED that I was making them all wait. Cristi asked me how long I needed to break after about 10 minutes there & I told him another 10. He was completely ready to accommodate me but I knew we had to keep moving.
As I apologized to him again for the lateness, Cristi explained to me that they hadn’t just stopped for me — they had stopped because of the rain. We had a handful of peaks to still cross & we’d need to stay as safe as possible as some of these were quite steep.
& though I still felt guilty, there was also an immense amount of relief that washed over me. Chris stayed there to meet up with some of his friends but our team moved out to try to get to the place where our decent could begin.
In our eagerness to descend, the remaining peaks became more like tasks required to reach the final prize. We thought we would be ending our hike at this time but instead we continued to go up. & down. & up.
Somewhere at this point in the story I met Benny. He is a great guy & an excellent mountaineer who more or less was sent to help me keep up a better pace as I fell behind again. There were several times he underestimated what I was capable of but I’m pretty stubborn & have hiked enough that I know my limits. We went together & spoke very little as his English was mostly limited to “here” & “safe”.
^Look closely at this picture to see if you can spot me.
We were all finally together when it happened: Cristi told us we were now looking for the way down.
Wait, what?
“Looking” for it? Like…we weren’t sure where we were going anymore? Oh man.
We did eventually find the path but there are no pictures of our way down because it was a lot more treacherous than the way up. The way up had been challenging but so much fun & every step allowed for a gorgeous view. The way down started with a subtle urgency to make it before dark but the gravity of the situation only grew with each step.
We started down a path through some overgrown bushes & there were a few more times we had to go up before down, but it was no longer full peaks we had to climb. We were doing okay until we got to the most dangerous part of the mountain — a huge section of loose rocks.
Big deal — we had done that before.
But it’s a pretty mammoth sized difference on the way down. Just like before, when rocks fall it can completely take you out, but now so many more of them were falling because we were going downhill & each step sent loose stones into action.
We tried doing it with about 20 feet between each of us but too many rocks would shower down to the person below & when you’re constantly trying to find your footing, mountain style dodge ball isn’t really your game. It took a soccer ball sized rock to convince us that this wasn’t working.
I’m not sure where it originated from that rock began picking up speed as it fell. “ROCK!!” was shouted frantically but in that situation, you really only can do so much. Some were able to evade it but as Justin tried to move it took out his feet so that he fell. Thankfully, he was alright, but the rock was still on the move & Megan was in its path.
As everyone watched in horror, the rock bounced & went right for her. We are all so thankful that it didn’t take out her head, her knee, or even her ankle, but Megan did get a pretty square shot right to her hip. It didn’t just make her cry, it made the on-lookers cry. This decent was turning into a bit of a nightmare.
We now had to wait until one person safely made it out of the way at the bottom of the loose rocks before another could come down. It took forever & night began to encroach on our progress. I was the last to go down the loose rocks & Benny was patient but continued to urge me forward. I broke out my headlight the last 5 minutes down that section because it was getting pretty difficult to see. We were all worried what it would be like when night had fully descended on us.
It was also around this time that I ran out of water. They told it was a 12 hour hike & I had water through hour 14, but after that, nothing.
We finally made it to the forest at the base of the mountains & in the daylight, it was supposed to take about 2 hours to get through. But with a group as large as ours using phone flashlights to avoid falling down the remainder of the mountain, I looked at my watch & asked how much further. That takes you to how this story began.
There were times that each step took every ounce of will in my body. In my head was playing a song I’d learned on the Race called “Nothing I hold onto”…the words to the bridge are “I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open”…
If you’ve ever climbed a mountain, you know that that is a ridiculous concept. How can you climb a mountain with hands wide open? You constantly have to use them either for balance or to get up the next rock. But the point of the song is that we don’t lean on our own understanding but trust in God, our Maker. We hold onto nothing because we trust Him.
In my weak state, I don’t think I’ve ever needed the truth of that song more.
I won’t bore you with the rest of the trip, but I can tell you that the best part of the decent was when we stopped at a stream close to the end & Chris caught up. He filled my water bottle for me & then we walked the rest of the way together. I had only just met him but it was like finding an old friend after years apart instead of hours. He made the time go so much quicker & we even laughed at times — he was definitely a gift from God.
& then we were finally there. We loaded in the cars & we drove back to camp. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so spent in my life, but it felt incredible to be finished. I wish I had a post-hike picture to show you because I was so so dirty from my face to my feet. I debated not showering because I didn’t know if I could stand up any longer. They put a huge plate of hot food in front of me but I could only manage a few mouthfuls.
Even though I felt dead on my feet, I knew I needed to get a shower. I could barely lift my arms to wash my hair & I had to sit down because I couldn’t reach my calves or feet to remove the dirt. I plodded out to my tent & willed my legs into my sleeping bag. I’m pretty sure my eyes weren’t even fully closed before I was out cold.
Two days later my muscles screamed at me as I went up or down the stairs, but it still made me smile. 17 hours on the mountain brought me some of the most gorgeous views of my life but it also showed me what I could do. If I compare myself to others I can see that I am a wicked slow hiker who wasn’t fully prepared, but now I know what I can endure. Now I know what I can push through. God was my help, & with my hands open to Him, He brought me through. Take that, mountain range!
