Carrying Excess Cargo

 

                           “Praise to the Lord our Savior who daily bears our burdens.” *

One of the common interests that drew Al and I together in 1982 was backpacking. He was an avid backpacker, having climbed several peaks in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and having been a participant in many outdoor adventures from coast to coast.

My first experience was as a teen-ager when I spent the summer in the Olympic National Park with my friend Wendy, and her family.  Wendy’s mother and younger brother had hiked to a shelter cabin on the coast for a few days, taking in most of the supplies except food. We were going to meet them the next day, packing in the rest of the food.

 We had only covered part of the distance and were hiking along the beach when a storm front moved in. The ocean rose quickly forcing us to climb up to higher ground, through thick underbrush. After what seemed like a very long time, we finally gave up and sat down, while the rain poured and the wind whipped around us.

Wendy’s mom became alarmed when we didn’t show up. After the storm abated, she recruited a group of Boy Scouts to rescue us. What a relief when they took our packs and led us find the shelter cabin!  

The first instructions I had about the basics of backpacking came years later when I attended a meeting in which an experienced outdoorsman gave a demonstration. The man was Al Lowery, and that meeting was the beginning of a life-long relationship! Through the years, he had learned what things were practical to take and what should be left behind.

After we were married, Al bought a large Kelty backpack to hold all of the gear needed for our excursions into the wilderness. “The bigger the pack, the more you will want to fill it,” I warned, after having learned the hard way. 

Although the experience was fun, the aching shoulders, sore feet and fatigue resulting from lugging my pack along a rocky mountain trail made me cautious about what to take. There were times when I wanted to throw my pack over the edge, especially on uphill routes. It was always a relief when we stopped to rest, even for a brief time.

How could I complain though, when Al carried the larger, heavier pack? I only had to take my sleeping bag, foam sleeping pad, clothes, a cylindrical bear proof cannister with the food and a few other items. His contained all of the above, plus the tent, cooking gear, backpacking stove, large camera with lenses, tripod and sometimes a fishing pole!  My pack usually weighed twenty or thirty pounds less than his. Even then, it was a challenge. There was no convincing me to buy a larger one!  

The heaviest packs we carried were on a cross-country hike in Denali National Park, Alaska in the summer of 1990. Our guide had sent a detailed list of items to take, including wool gloves, ski hats, heavy jackets…everything needed for extreme weather. We had to be prepared in case we got caught in an unexpected snow storm but also for the warm July weather.

 In addition, crampons that attached onto the bottoms of our boots were important for crossing a glacier along our intended route. All of those things were way out of my comfort zone, especially the crampons which brought visions of icy terrain and crevasses on the glacier.

When we arrived at our starting point in Talkeetna, the food for the six-day trek was divided among the entire group of eight, adding to the initial weight of the packs. Later when my parents saw pictures of our awesome adventure, mom didn’t notice the beautiful weather or the majestic crown of Denali peak rising up behind Al and me. Her first comment? “Look you’re all bent over!” It was hard to stand up straight with my heavy burden!

I wonder if our backpacking days were preparing me for the future, teaching me how to travel as light as possible, helping me develop a “Can-do-with-the -Lord’s-help” attitude, learning to trust God no matter how tough the trail. Our senior years certainly can be challenging. Yet, when we walk with God, He promises to bear our burdens daily

 In the Spanish translation of Psalm 68:19 “cargas” (burdens) brings to mind the word “cargo!” Are we letting Him carry our cargo? He is ready and able!

*Psalm 68:19 NIV