Right now, I'm settled in a LL Bean chair looking out over Lake Clark and the Chigmit Mountain Range (a sub-range of the Aleutian Mountains).
Weather has been mostly glorious since my arrival in Alaska, an unusual phenomenon, or so I'm told. Last year, "liquid sunshine" was the order of the day. But this year, Alaska is preening, showing off like a young bush pilot.
On Friday, we said good-bye to our first group of veterans and their spouses. I'm officially broken-in to Samarian Lodge Alaska -- and so are my hiking boots! Monday morning the head guide asked me to take three couples on a half-day hiking trail that runs along the lower slope of Tanalian Mountain. My Asolo's racked up the miles all week, with two more trips to "The Falls" -- a two-and-a-half mile round-trip hike to a stunning cascade on the Tanalian River. Those who are inclined to fish packed in their waders, boots, and fly-fishing rods, and we cast below the falls for beautiful little Arctic Graylings. The small fish took a nymph pattern called a Copper John., though they are also coming up to dry flies.
On Thursday, three of us guided a 10-hour, 12-mile hike to summit the Mountain (3,560 feet) with a group of fifteen. Eight of our participants made it to the summit -- which is an incredible feat considering the terrain. We stopped and ate lunch at a spot called "the knee"; it's a beautiful alpine meadow full of tiny flowering plants and I annoyed everyone by singing Sound of Music tunes at the top of my lungs.
Friday morning was a relatively light day. The couples took a float plane outing to a historical site, then in the afternoon we gathered at the lake for baptisms, followed by closing ceremonies.
WARNING! I realize that everyone has a different comfort level with spiritual conversation and talk about Christianity or about Jesus Christ. I want to respect the various faith backgrounds of my friends (and readers). As most of you know, I am a follower of Jesus and He's pretty much the love of my life. So from time to time, I'll write about my own spiritual journey, and also report what I have witnessed in the lives of these couples (in an anonymous and general way) when something marvelous happens. But to honor you as best I can, I'll try and issue a warning if an upcoming paragraph has overtly spiritual content and you can choose to read it or skip to the next one! I hope that works for everyone. If I forget, please remind me!
THIS PARAGRAPH HAS OVERTLY SPIRITUAL CONTENT!
I wish I could post photos of the baptismal service. Three of our participants surrendered their lives to the love of God and braved the forty degree water of Lake Clark to be baptized. Having jumped in to the lake once, I know it takes both spiritual and physical bravery to plunge beneath those waters and come up a new person in Christ. As our chaplains lowered each person into the water, four sea gulls wheeled over our heads crying. One of the men being baptized was a young veteran who had chronic sores from a battle wound that had plagued him for years. When he professed faith in Christ, his sores were immediately healed. The next morning, his wife caught me on the boardwalk and said, "(He) said his heart feels clean for the first time."
Next week is an abbreviated week for me. An air taxi will take me to Anchorage on Thursday afternoon where I'll catch a flight to the Lower 48. God willing, I'll be in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday morning. This weekend is my dad's 80th birthday and I'm racking up the miles with Alaskan Air to make it home for the festivities. I'll be home Friday and Saturday, then catch the first flight out on Sunday morning to head back to Alaska. If you want to call, I'll have phone service starting at around 10am on Friday until Saturday around 4pm (big doings on Saturday night and I won't be answering my phone).
For those of you who want to know, my mailing address is:
Samaritan Lodge Alaska
c/o Elizabeth Jones
PO Box 192
Port Alsworth, AK 99653
1 comment:
Wow. Thank you for all of it, overly spiritual content too!
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