One of the most exciting parts of coming to France, for me, was hiking the Pyrenees Mountains, and this past Saturday I actually got to do it! I went with four other people from the group, and we had the time of our lives. It started off a bit sketchy when we waited at the train station for a bus for about an hour, and ended up having to take a taxi, but we managed to find our way.
We got dropped off in the middle of the town square in Laruns France, and were immediately on our own. Luckily, the tourist building was directly behind us, so it wasn't too bad. We were able to get directions, through a very heavy French accent from the lady working, to a mountain called Pic de Listo. So...we started walking. Turned left at the end of the street, a quick stop at the supermarket for some food for the hike, then on to the town at the bottom of the mountain.
It was here where we picked up our friend "Sherpa". Apparently if you are friendly to a sheep herding dog, they will guide you the entire way up the mountain. It took us about half an hour to get off the road and on the trail, but it was uphill the entire way. The landscape became more and more beautiful the higher we went. I felt like I was hiking inside a painting that was just too good to be real.
It was incredible how the climate changed at the top. Before we knew it, we were surrounded in snow, and lost sight of the trail. Luckily there was a group of two old couples just ahead of us. I really hope that hiking the Pyrenees is my idea of a double date when I'm in my sixties. Patrice, was the name of one of them, and he pointed us in the right direction as we went on ahead. After a long trek through snow reaching up to our knees at some points, and a very steep final stretch, we made it to the top.
It was amazing. I can only think of one thing on this earth more beautiful than what I saw up there. I was surrounded by mountains strectching out as far as the eye could see. And way way down was the town of Laruns, where we began. I could not believe we had come so far in three hours. As I looked around, I took on a new appreciation for God's glory and power. A being able to create what I was surround by up there is worth so much more than anything I could ever give.
On the way back down, I fell behind the group and knelt down on the edge of the trail over looking a ground far below, and huge snowy mountains in front of me, and I prayed. I thanked God for what He had created and for allowing me to see it with my own eyes. When I opened them back up, I found our other guide dog for the day, White Fang, waiting patiently for me to finish. I lifted my hands and followed the outlines of the mountains as if I were sculpting them the way our Father did so long ago to try to imagine the way it felt to creating something so beautiful. Then, I turned to my new friend, and we both agreed that it was time to continue our descent back down the Laruns.
The moments I will be able to witness what I witnessed on that day are few, but I thank God that I am able to see similar beauty every day in the eyes of all those around me. All I have to do is know how to look. Wow, what a trip.
