Best
pday ever, and seeing that I have about 3 months left, I don't see topping that any time soon. That was literally one of the hardest things
that I've ever had to do in my life. Why? Well let me explain what we
really planned and did. Lots of research looking into this, asking other
missionaries who had climbed it too, which described it as "beautiful
but brutal", alright, I like the sound of that. For you back home in
Ramona, Mt Woodson is a tiny little ant hill compared to this thing.
It's called Volcán Barú, and it is somewhat near an area called Boquete,
where we always went with the cold weather and what not. Anyway, so we
decided this to be the pday, but it required lots of preparation, as far
as food, water and clothing, etc. We asked in our zone who was willing
to give it a try, committing them to show up and do it. Let me explain
what we got ourselves into, and later I will include all details.
Lots
and lots of things happened in this past week, like having millions of
investigators at church which was awesome. Also, us preparing 4 people
who are set to be baptized this coming week, almost guaranteed ones.
Many miracles as well, as it seems to happen when Elder Wright and I
work and are obedient, the Lord blesses us in surprising and unexpected
ways. All of that in mind, let's back track to the ridiculous pday today.
We looked it all up, asked members for their advice, how long would it
take to get there, etc. So, don't worry Mom, we did these things planned
out and safely, because 2 sister missionaries were coming along. We
bought during the week, windproof pants, a beanie, gloves, a fleece
sweatshirt, and other things, all for 20 bucks, haha, so we got good
deals for everything. You might wonder, all that warm winter clothing
for a tropical paradise like Panama, what for? Wrong. Volcán is a very
cold area. We looked up the weather and everything to make sure it wouldn't be raining there, and it wasn't, but unfortunately it did here in
David so we went a tad wet to start a volcano climb to really cold
weather. Really though, for us back home, it was cold but not like
terrible. It only felt terrible because I am no longer used to 40
degrees and wind making me shiver like mad. We started the hike at 9:30 pm. Why? Because we're stupid and juvenile boys and girls? No, because we
wanted to make it in time to see the sunrise over the clouds up on top
of the volcano (not active, last eruption was 1700 years ago). Among
many reason for going in the night too was that seeing such steep slopes
and climbs at night time wasn't so intimidating and we would just carry
on inch by inch with our flashlights. You all know me, I'm not the
biggest camper kind of guy, but this whole idea fascinated me, so we
wanted it to be perfect. We got a member from nearby the volcano also to
be our guide so that we wouldn't get lost (even though it was super
easy, just follow the trail and you're good). We brought all the necessary
supplies and told everyone in the zone that was coming to do so as
well. Flashlights, lots of water, we said 2 liters but we brought 4. I
ended up only using 2, which is why I'm really sore I imagine. We left
off to Boquete and then started the trip up up up! End up actually
climbing around 9:30 or 10, which would require an hour walk up a long
street just to get to the trailhead. Our sisters where down for the
count before even getting to the trailhead, so they ended up sticking
around there with sis missionaries in Boquete for the night. Us men
carried on, and carried on. Right off the bat, I felt it burning my legs
like crazy. We were told that the average hiker makes the trip in
around 7 hours, so for us to make it for the 6:20 am. sunrise, we had to be
at the trailhead by no later than 11. Because of a long story with the
sisters sticking back, we ended up an hour behind schedule, but that
didn't stop our determination. Let me tell you all, it was realistically
the hardest physical test of my strength think I've ever had. It was a
mind over matter situation. I had to convince myself that what I was
doing was possible, even when I saw with my headlamp a really really
steep slop in front of me, over and over, that appeared to never end. I
did well with the supplies, tuna sandwiches, mixed nuts with granola and
lots of water. I kept warm almost the whole time, but what we realized
was that as we stopped to rest, the wind picked up and always made us
much colder than before, and also made our legs cramp up a bit for
stopping the constant blood circulation. A Latin member guy, young man,
that came with us named Roy actually was my trail buddy, because him and I
were struggling a lot. Turned out that in the end he gave up and fell
asleep as he slept on the dirt floor by accident, and we carried on
through the night. We eventually divided into 2 groups because people
like me were going up at a snail place because it was literally a
straight up angle, all full of rocky roads. In the end after literally
giving this volcano all that I physically had, we made it to the top, by
7:30 am. If we hadn't had the time loss with the sisters, we may have made
it in time for the sunrise, but in the end it didn't matter. The view
from up there was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever
seen, looking over the clouds at 11,000ft. One of the coolest parts of
the trip was that it is the only place in the world where you can see
the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at the same time. This trip taught me so
much. I don't know how the pioneers of old managed a task like that, but
instead of 30 pound backpacks, they hauled hundreds of pounds of
supplies in wagons, up the same type of terrain. I respect and honor my
heritage, and seeing that this Wednesday is Pioneer day in Utah, I hope
you all really think about how hard physically, mentally and spiritually
it must have been for these saints to cross the country at that time in
history, and throughout all times in history.
I know firmly that God
helped me up that mountain. When I said to myself that I couldn't
possibly take another step, He told me that I could with His help. If I hadn't believed in His promises of angels around me to build me up and
strengthen the fallen knees, I guarantee you that I would have turned
around and never made it to the top. It was a very emotional moment for
me to look down and see what I had truly climbed. Trials will always
exist, but climb over them and learn from them. What did I learn today?
God is always there for His children when we obey His commandments. He
heard my prayers of begging as I climbed up those rocky trails, and
supported me every step of the way. Everyone, believe in God, you know
that He is there for you always, don't ever doubt in His power and
promises to all of His children.
My scripture from the top of my head
because I don't have my agenda is in Ether 12:26, which says that God
gives men weaknesses so that they can LEARN from them, not cry over
them. I love you all, I wish you could have been there to see that
magnificent view. Heavenly Father's creations are everywhere. Love you!
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