Squamish Chief: ‘Jesus Way’
Read the Rev. Camille Josey’s column and check out the church calendar.
Several summers ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, I fled to the Northwest for reflection and discernment. While there, I was invited to join a small group for what I was assured would be an easy day hike.
Clouds were sitting low on the mountains and coastal inlets — as though heaven had settled down upon the earth. When we arrived at the base of Squamish Chief, the parking lot was full of buses disgorging tourists who were older and in far worse physical shape than I, giving me confidence for the day ahead. Our guide led us beyond the tourists into the hushed quiet of forest floor.
Within an hour, I was struggling for breath.
After two hours, my hips, thighs and knees screamed from the stress as we scrambled up the ever-steepening trail. Then came a crevice of rock with a chain bolted into it for a handhold as we struggled to find purchase for our feet against the wall of rock.
As I scrambled over the ledge onto a small flat shelf of rock I could see the final obstacle that stood between me and the summit — a long, sloping, rain-slick rock that dropped precipitously on both sides.
Some of our group had rushed ahead, impatient at my slow progress. But a young Chinese student had long since relieved me of my pack, given me aid up the wall of rock and stood ready to give me a hand if needed.
Each step left me uncertain about my stability and several times I found myself sliding on my belly back down, clinging desperately to the rock face.
Two other students who had grown up in the mountains of China began to pick their way step by step along the rock face. As they did they would gently place my feet in the spots they had tested and found secure. We did finally reach the top, where the sun broke through the clouds and the valley floor was laid out before us.
Squamish Chief became for me a metaphor for the “Jesus Way.” We like to think of it as a climate-controlled ride on a comfortable tourist bus or an easy day hike — entertaining, but nothing that will cause us to work up a sweat or push us too hard. And if things get too rough, we can always scamper back on the bus where temperature controls are at our fingertips.
But the further I travel along the “Jesus Way,” the more convinced I am it is more like that Saturday climb up Squamish Chief. The journey grows more challenging with each step, with each turn in the path.
Some fellow travelers will be so eager to get to the top they’ll gladly leave you behind. The ones you want with you are like those Chinese students, the ones who measure the pace of their own journey to make sure the strugglers are able to follow along the way, who encouraged you not to give up when the journey seems impossible.