Last night on day 2 of a backpacking trip, I was exhausted and experienced altitude sickness. We had reached the top of our trail, in between and near the top of Mt Bierstadt and Mt Evans, overlooking Lake Abyss. There were no other people up here at the top. It was just me and my brothers and my dad.
It was a majestic view and yet the amount of physical work it took to get to Lake Abyss had taken it all out of me. It is not uncommon for me to be worn out, sore, and lightheaded after 2 days of strenuous hiking with a 35+ pound backpack on my back. The potential for dehydration and physical exhaustion is great with the addition of your body still adjusting to high altitudes and less oxygen. There is often some degree of exhaustion that I am feeling at this point. But on this evening of day 2 I was not wanting to eat. In that case, the only remedy was eating as much that I can keep down, water and sleep. Sure enough, the next morning I was ready to eat and the thought of food wasn’t as repulsive. I was able to get some oatmeal and coffee down.
Part of the problem was my transition to plant based eating over the past 6 – 8 months. Most of our trail food was energy food with a significant amount of meat or processed foods. I ate what was provided on day 2 and yet I still was not interested in food that evening.
What makes someone go backpacking and sign up for this type of physical work and adversity? After doing this several time, you get better at learning to adapt and listen to your body. For me, this is all in hopes of experiencing the goodness of God’s creation and quality time together with other men disconnected from our ability to control every detail. There is a degree of accomplishment embracing the challenge of learning (every time it is new) to adapt, having resolve, and the community with others who are joining you. Despite the mortality of humans and the amount of physical work and sometimes pain that goes into backpacking, some are willing to put themselves through the struggle to experience God’s creation in greater degrees. It is wild. It is untamed. You learn to roll with whatever nature gives you knowing you don’t have control of the journey to get to where you want to go. And it has rewards along the way and at the top.
Getting to the point of physical exhaustion increases awareness and engages the mind, soul, and heart in the midst of God’s creation. In the midst of adversity and physical strain, the worries of home and loss of time allow you to become more present. At the same time, you become more awareness of God’s unfathomable physical beauty in creation through the peaks and valleys. You learn in greater measure who you are, who God is, and that there is goodness through this work. It reminds you that instant gratification and immediate results are not ways to know God’s immense goodness. It is much more realized in the acceptance of adversity and learning to replace ourselves, listen and observe where God shows His nature to us.