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diff --git a/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md b/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..01b4339 --- /dev/null +++ b/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +--- +title: Adventures on Black Cap Mountain +--- + +I was born in a dusty little desert town in Southern Oregon called +Lakeview. From some of my earliest memories, I recall looking up at the +range of mountains located beside the town. At six years of age, these +mountains seemed huge and impressive. The truth is, they hardly +qualified as mountains at all. They were more like very large hills. One +in particular had a black volcanic basalt formation at its peak. Thus, +it was always referred to as Black Cap Mountain. I often wondered what +the view would look like from the top of that mountain. + +Knowing it would be a tough task to obtain permission, I began to ask my +mother if my friend and I could plan a little hiking expedition. The +goal, of course, was to conquer the mountain so we could brag to all our +friends about our brave adventure. I had to ask a half a gazillion times +to get the answer I wanted, but my persistence finally paid off. My +mother packed a nice lunch for me. As she handed me the lunch, she told +me to take my wrist watch so I would be certain to return by 3 o'clock. + +At about 11 o'clock in the morning, we set out on our journey, +determined to return as the conquering heroes we imagined ourselves to +be. The path that led to the top of the mountain was fraught with dozens +of delightful distractions for little boys. We turned over many rocks to +look for bugs. We found some sticks that served as our swords for +slaying the dragon that lived on the mountain. We sat in the shade of a +juniper tree to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Before long, +we realized that we weren't making much progress toward our goal. The +black cap at the top of the mountain seemed just as far away as it did +when we first set out on our quest. This was not a big concern for us +because there were still plenty of places to explore right where we +were. We continued our imaginary battles with the dragons and trolls and +pretty much lost all track of the time. + +When it finally occurred to me to check my watch to see how much time we +had left before 3 o'clock, I was surprised to discover that it was +almost 4 o'clock. Knowing we might be in a heap of trouble, we hurried +down the mountain as fast as we could go. 20 minutes later, we were +nearing the first road that ran along the base of the mountain. Just as +we reached the road, my mother drove by in her car and stopped for us to +get in. She told me she had been driving back and forth on the road for +almost an hour, looking up the slopes of the mountain to see if she +could spot us. The ride back home was very quiet. I studied my mother's +face to see if I could determine her mood. I was anxious to know if I +was likely to spend the remainder of the month in the dungeon for my +crimes. But, try as I might, I couldn't discern what evil punishments +she was plotting inside her head. All I knew was that something was +brewing in her mind because she was not her usual cheerful self. + +We dropped off my friend at his house and drove the short distance to +our home. I tagged along behind my mother as we walked in the door. Now +I would learn my fate. The air was thick with tension. She turned to me +and said, "Would you come with me into the bedroom?" Expecting a good +scolding, or perhaps worse, I went with her into the bedroom. She knelt +beside the bed and motioned to me to do the same. Instead of unleashing +a storm of anger upon me, she simply closed her eyes and began to offer +an emotional prayer of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the safe +return of her son. Hearing the relief and gratitude that came pouring +out of her heart, made an indelible impression on mine. Realizing I had +been the cause of her anxiety, I resolved to never do anything to cause +her such pain again. + +My resolution was short-lived I suppose. As a young and reckless boy, I +still gave my mother plenty of reasons to worry. However, the knowledge +of the depth of her love for me helped me try a little bit harder to +become a son she could be proud of. + + + +This photo shows me in the pool in front of our house in Lakeview. Black +Cap Mountain, with its black rock formation on the top, is seen behind +the house. |