whew...Lesson of the Flies

Whew…

When I think of how my loved ones must be responding to the recent craziness at Angel Lake, I am a little embarrassed and also cautious to not let this story dominate my mind nor this memoir that I am writing. And being stuck on the ledge at over 9 thousand feet, needing to be rescued and then, after one is safe on the ground, watching the helicopter that brought your saviors crash right next to one’s campsite is dramatic to the point of absurdity. Truly such a significant day will be played out (raw and fresh) in the minds and hearts of everyone that witnessed the event and I certainly will not fail to also ponder and glean from what God has graced us to suffer and live through, especially to take time to be thankful of life and to guard all life more carefully in the future.

Thankfully no one was seriously hurt though James, the fireman who helped me off the mountain, may never want to get into a helicopter again.

The Lesson of the Flies:

(That morning of the infamous Angel Lake hike)

Straightening up my tent, I struggled to get the flies out. The sun had risen and my tent glowed orange. I had opened the tent door for air and breeze to make sleeping in easier (say till 7 instead of 6) The flies had come in but as I got out of bed (making the bed in preparation for the next night) I wanted to close the door to keep any bugs coming in during the day. Trouble was, there was already about 25 flies flying persistently towards the screened roof and nothing (not sprinkling water nor hand scooping) would convince them that the open door was the only way out of the tent. The flies and I speak a different language. While their God-given instinct to fly towards a light source works well in the world God has made…it doesn’t apply for human-made spaces that I understood and moved in. To them up at the highest point of light is the way out even though mesh blocked that path and this instinct was so rigidly set that they would not explore the tent for alternate paths. Furthermore, my attempts to save them were perceived by the flies to be attacks on their lives—another instance in which a usually life-preserving instinct worked against them.

Before I realized why the flies were persisting in using the roof as an escape I felt like God knowing what the flies needed to know for survival but was frustrated with my inability communicate with the flies who would soon die like their brothers and sisters already on the floor. I decided that I must learn their language and when I realized that instinct was driving them…I removed everything from the tent and then lifted the true exit to the sky. The flies immediately (and I think gratefully) flew out of the tent! I prayed:

“As I was merciful to the flies, please be merciful to me God. Speak my language when I cannot understand yours.”

In the hours that followed…I hiked where I should not have gone. I could not see how difficult the hike was from the ground. When I was stuck and every instinct in me cried to go up or even across more of the mountain than I had crossed I heard God say there is danger above and below and to the right and to the left but if you stay where you are, you will be safe. I like, the flies, wanted to climb above because up always feels better than down on a mountain like that but my vision was limited and I later found out that had I done so, I would have met another impasse and this one with no safe waiting place. Rescuers came…rappelled me down and then later crashed near my campsite.

They were not badly hurt

Campers were not hurt and we all had opportunity to thank God and help each other

And that night we all slept loving our loved ones more because we knew what we could have lost.

Praise God