This is an image I shot of El Captain at sunrise...The fact that one only gets a glimpse of the massive stone behind the fog reminds me of the glimpses I see of His greatness. It is in those moments that I remember my place and how rich I am to have a relationship with the Almighty!"When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,the moon and the stars,
which You have ordained,
the work of Your fingers,the moon and the stars,
which You have ordained,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you visit him?"
- Ps. 8:3-4
- Ps. 8:3-4
What a great shot. It must be amazing, living down there. Then again, you grew up in a pretty amazing place too.
ReplyDelete(So glad you are blogging. It's great fun.)
Jeremy--
ReplyDeleteI looked at your latest message with mixed feelings. A couple years ago Todd Skinner, a world-famous climber and aquaintance of mine from here in Lander, died while repelling off Leaning Tower, near El Cap.
Todd was a true pioneer who took the sport to places that hadn't even occurred to anyone before. Just google his name if you want to see some head-spinningly-amazing photos and stories of what is possible. He was known as a safe climber; he owned a very successful climbing store here in Lander; he had a growing career as a motivational speaker. He was a mentor to untold numbers of young climbers (including me at times).
He was also a really nice guy, the kind who would never let you know, in normal conversation, that he was a top-of-the-world athlete. He left behind a wife whom I consider a friend, and three great kids whom I teach, and they seem to be doing OK without their dad.
All these things about him make the manner of his death all the more tragic. He didn't die saving a fellow climber or even taking a lead fall on a bold move. He wasn't even climbing; he was repelling down after the climb. This world-famous climber, arguably the most talented of our day, owner of a climbing-gear store (for crying out loud), died because the belay loop on his worn-out harness snapped 500 feet above the ground. As I heard it, the new harness he had ordered arrived just after he left; it was sitting on the shelf here in Lander when he died. But he didn't wait; he figured he could get in one more climb on the old one.
None of which is to detract from the beauty of your image or the message you--and God--have attached to it. I just want to say that I appreciate your emphasis on stewardship and planning. When we get complacent and careless, perhaps putting too much trust in our own strength rather than maintaining the things which truly support us...the beautiful can turn ugly very quickly.
Keep up the good work, bro.
TW
Tom,
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, there are some serious lessons for us all in the story you just shared. I am sorry for the loss of your friend. Thanks for sharing that story.