Transported at 14,000 feet!

      There is a story in the book of Acts about a man named Phillip who while upon baptizing an Ethiopian man, was then transported away to another place in the North.  In the early years of Betsy and my marriage, although it involved a mountain rather than the water that Phillip found himself in, I had a similar experience of the Lord “carrying me away” to another place.

     In the first summer of our marriage, Betsy and I were working at Rock Creek Lakes Resort, 9,000 foot up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The resort and the valley around it were surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada range.  Up the valley from the resort and along the southern side stood the majestic Mt. Morgan at almost 14,000 feet.  Betsy and I had ascended numerous mountains throughout this rugged section of the Sierras, but we had not yet had the opportunity to tackle Mt. Morgan. A day came when that changed for me.

       Betsy’s responsibilities at the resort consisted of working the cash register at the combination store and café, along with cleaning the rental cabins. My work largely involved managing the small boats we rented out on the lake, along with other maintenance projects. One day in late June, my scheduled called for me to come to work late in the afternoon, thus leaving my morning and mid-day free. With the weather promising to agree, I decided it would be a good time to tackle Mt. Morgan.

        I rose before sunup that morning to get an early start. With a day pack on my back, I began the five mile hike up the trail to Eastern Brook Lake (about 10,000 foot) where I would leave the trail and begin the climb up the western slope of Mt. Morgan.  Knowing that much of the upper regions of this mountain were visible to the lodge’s telescope, I wore a bright red long sleeve shirt so that they could better located me on the rocky and often snow packed slope.

         Aware that I did not have “all day”, I hurried up the trail to Eastern Brook Lake. Once around the lake and ascending the mountain slope, it was not long before I was well above tree line.  I took a rest on a snow/ice covered slope where I figured those at the lodge could best see my red shirt. (When I did return later that afternoon, I found out that those at the lodge, Betsy included, had tracked my assent, finding my red shirt easy to see against the patches of snow and ice.)

         I had worn a watch to be sure I would not overstay my time on the mountain and in doing so miss my shift at the resort.  It was around 11 AM when I eventually reached an extensive snow/ice field still some distance below the summit. I had been hiking and climbing for almost 5 hours.  I knew the return trip descending the mountain would be much faster than the ascent, but I was still concerned with the time. The summit looked to be another 300 feet above me. The going was very slow because the slope was steep and treacherous, but also because I was tiring.

       Catching my breath on that snow/ice pack 300’ below the summit, I took the opportunity to look around and enjoy the view. I could see far across the Sierra range, with snowcapped peaks and green valleys in every direction. I stood there in awe and could only praise God for the beauty He had created. My time of praise seemed to consume me.  I was praising God from a high place as they did in the Bible. I was absolutely consumed with the experience and I believe I totally lost track of time.

       When I did return to an awareness of my immediate surroundings, I was ready to turn and continue my ascent.  As I turned to continue my ascent up the mountain, I found myself facing an entirely different reality than what I had noted when I stopped on this snow/ice pack. Rather than the 300’ of steep and treacherous mountain between me and the top, I found myself on a small snow/ice slope only fifteen feet from the summit. Shocked and even confused, I quickly scrambled up those last few feet and found myself standing on the summit itself, a narrow flat area with a stone altar at its center.

        I again began praising God, this time from an even higher “high place”, and from an even more immediate reality. I realized that the Lord had been aware of my diminishing energy and time and He was blessing me for taking that extended time on the slope below to praise Him.  I could even look down the slope to the snow/ice pack some 300’ below and know I had not traveled the steep rock and icy slope between it and the summit.  The Lord had transported me up the mountain.

        After I had signed my name on the ledger that was placed in a container below a caprock on the stone altar, I began me descent down the mountain. I was so excited and energized by what the Lord had done that I had to continually remind myself to slow down and be careful on the still dangerous slope. I was anxious to return to the lodge and share my mountain miracle.

        God is a miracle working God. This is who He is! Saving a soul, healing a body, imparting wisdom, providing our needs, moving us up mountains, these are all simply God being God.  Transporting a believer from one place to another is just another way of God displaying how His power so transcends the limitations of this natural world. He carried Phillip away in the Spirit, and there are many other testimonies of Him doing similar things for believers in this life.   I was just fortunate enough to experience one of these demonstrations of His divine power. He not only moves mountains, He moves His children up mountains and gives them mountain top experiences! This is who He is!