The Gros Morne Challenge
Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
NIV
Gros Morne, the tallest mountain in Eastern Canada, stands
806 meters above the Strait of Belle Isle in the Northern
Peninsula of Newfoundland. The view from the top is said to
be phenomenal, well worth the 18.3 km climb, and this was
our destination on July 25th, 2004.
It was late in the day when we began our ascent. We had
arrived in Newfoundland very late the day before via ferry,
and had a four hour drive to cover before we could even set
foot on the trail. Even after arriving in Gros Morne
National Park, we didn't set out immediately. In fact, we
were in the middle of cooking a leisurely, late lunch when I
learned that it took a minimum of 6 ½ hours for experienced
hikers to make the climb!
"It's 2:30 p.m. and sunset is at 8:30!" I exclaimed to my
family. "We have less than 6 hours! We have to go-now!"
And so we dropped everything and jumped into the car, headed
for the parking lot at the base of the mountain. That we
weren't as prepared as we should have been is a bit of an
understatement . . . All of our water bottles were only
half-full. But we set out anyway, and it wasn't long before
the perspiration was flowing freely and the "perfume" that
wafted about us was less than pleasant! We made it about
three kilometers when my youngest son, Darien, began to
fade. But he made it a couple of kilometers farther than his
dad! We sat down for a breather, and my wife passed around
some much needed "salt", in the form of potato chips, and
after a bit of a rest, a bit of a drink, and plenty of salt,
we set out once more on our trek.
But the newly found energy was short-lived. After climbing
up what we would have classified as VERY rugged terrain, we
arrived at the base of the REAL challenge: a steep, pebbly
climb that went STRAIGHT UP for HUNDREDS of meters! It was
already 4:10 p.m. and we only had 50 minutes to reach the
top if we wanted to return to our base before dark. There
was no way my youngest one (or me, for that matter!) could
accomplish this feat. If anyone in the family could do it,
it would be my oldest son and my wife.
"Honey, we have to make a choice," I stated. "We have only
50 minutes left to reach the top if we want to get back down
before nightfall. Do you really think the two of us should
undertake this? There doesn't look like there's anyway to
turn back if we start this steep climb!"
"No Papa!" interrupted Darien. "I want to climb all the way
to the top!"
After a short debate, the adults decided that to give my
wife and older son a fair chance, I would make the "supreme
sacrifice" and stay behind with my Darien. He wasn't in
agreement with this arrangement, however; and it was a
rather "tearful" goodbye! To appease him a bit, we began
climbing around the base of the mountain. It was beautiful,
and our trek was made even more exciting by some wild
animals that crossed our path. After a while my son asked:
"Do you think mom and Donovan will be able to reach the top
on time?"
"What do you think?" I asked. "Is your mom a quitter or does
she always try to attain her goals?"
"She is NO quitter!"
"So, both your brother and your mom will make it in time."
"I guess we made the right choice papa. It was a worthwhile
sacrifice."
"What do you mean son?"
"With us following at their heels, there was no way they
would have reached the top on time. By staying behind, we
gave mom and Donovan a fair chance to get to the top."
"You are so right," I answered.
In the end, my wife and Donovan both reached the top and
were back to the car by 8:00 p.m. It only took them 5 ½
hours to do the entire 18.3 kilometers!
We all face daily decisions. It is our choice if our
decisions will be a blessing to others or a curse. If my
Darien had insisted on climbing to the top, we probably
would have all turned around and none of us would have
reached our goals. That decision would have been a curse to
my wife and my oldest son. However, his decision to not
continue was a real blessing to the ones in our family who
had the energy to go on.
In everything we do and say, we radiate blessings or curses
to others.
"Not now! I don't have the time!" only radiates
discouragement.
"Can I be of any help?" provides others with hope and
appreciation instead.
Jesus always had time for others while wandering through
Israel. His schedule was even busier than ours; however,
every word he uttered and every deed he performed were
always to the benefit of others.
What kind of decisions are you making? Do they always bless
others? With Jesus as your guide, they sure can!
Rob Chaffart