MOUNTAINEERING, TRAVEL, SPIRITUALITY
Spirituality in the Art of Mountaineering
What I didn’t find in church, I found in the mountains
The very first rule of mountaineering is to never underestimate the mountain. A mountain can humble you in your proudest moments and make you fearful to teach you courage. It is often seen as something that needs to be conquered but it has never been, and it never will be, our enemy. As a matter of fact, they have been a friend to many after giving rise to a sport of fortitude through the courage of men who reached its peaks. A sport that we now call mountaineering.
Though climbing mountains has existed throughout history for innumerable purposes such as relocation and hunting, it was only in 1786 that mountaineering was officially born as a sport. This was when the peak of Mont Blanc in the Alps was reached by Michel-Gabriel Paccard, a Chamonix doctor, and his porter named Jacques Balmat. Technically defined as the ascending of a mountain or elevated terrains where nature provides the field of action, mountaineering has later become a hobby or a weekend escape to many. But for us mountaineers, it is so much more.
The genesis of my love affair with mountaineering came from living at the foot of a mountain. I was four years old when I first climbed it, and it has become our playground ever since. I remember foot trails from a nearby forest that we would often use to hike as we grew older and moderately steep residential paths that lead to a shallow uninteresting cave. How these innocent memories served as the seed to the unending pull of nature still eludes me. Every mountain now holds the promise of adventure, its peak a beacon of hope, and its lush forests a solace like no other. These molds of prominence have indefinitely become one of my sanctuaries and a significant ingredient to my spiritual journey.
Yes, my spiritual journey hasn’t always been with Bible stories, fellowships, or the church. I have often found myself contemplating the most about my relationship with God in the serenity of nature. Particularly in forests and mountains. Passages from the Bible also talk of mountains as a place of worship and prayer. It was on a mountain that God conversed with Moses through a burning bush. Elijah was taken by a chariot of fire to His Majesty’s kingdom from a mountain. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on an altar high in the terrains of their home. And Jesus himself hiked up mountainsides to pray on his knees. Matthew 5:1–2 also says, “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountain side and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.”
Like many mountaineers, I too worshipped God with the sounds of nature. The embers of a mountain’s mystery helped me retrace my steps back to Him whenever I lost my way. Or, rather, it was there that I felt found.
And now, in three major ways I will be sharing below, the sport has become one of the strongest fuels for my spiritual growth.
First, whenever I’m hiking, I sometimes don’t realize the zeal of seeking God until I finally feel His presence. That moment when gratitude and peace overwhelm you in the middle of exhaustion, and you hear His voice almost everywhere. He speaks in the chirping of birds, the rustling of pine trees from the wind, and the raging of rivers. Even in our most defeated state, when weakness creeps in our knees and the thought of giving up grows, there is solace and rest in His grace. We were often told that reaching heights entails a combination of both physical and mental strength. But there is also the interaction of the physical and the spiritual. A reminder that by surrendering to Him, our weaknesses and vulnerabilities will fail to subdue our will. Rather, they turn into the purest form of strength and purpose.
Second, mountaineering brought me face to face with many of life’s paradoxes. A constant series of days where less is more. Weekends and holidays where I did the things I thought I could never do. Knowing that if I don’t risk anything, I risk everything. These are the epigrams of faith that are often revealed in the majesty and tranquility of nature. Epigrams that provided me with a new perspective on understanding and living many of the Bible’s passages. One of which is Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Lastly, there is the journey of personal healing. I have always been told that I am a good listener. The burden, however, is that no matter how often and sincerely you listen, no one ever listens back. And while it’s true that mental health is now being given more attention, it is still romanticized by many. People pretend to suffer or to understand. You never really know who holds sincerity in their hearts. So, for a really long time, I chose silence for my own mental struggles than be vulnerable to the wrong people. I also chose to educate more than to share. This is where my journey with mental health became deeply tied to mountaineering.
Climbing mountains has helped me navigate through the convolutions of my overwhelming thoughts and emotions. Even for just a while, its therapeutic power liberates me from the cycle of emotional turmoil or the feeling of constantly drowning without the mercy of death to end it. I was given nature’s miracle of healing and with all the high walls I have built around my heart, only He could have made it possible. These were the moments I realized that it was He who led me to this path. He was the one who planted that seed when I was four. And now it has grown into this endless longing for proverbial exploration and self-discovery.
Mountaineering has a transformative power and it explores the dynamic relationship between the physical and the spiritual. The journey involves a discovery of inner strength and a renewed relationship with God. Mountains have always been great pieces molded by God on earth to hold his creatures, exult his majesty, and show beauty beyond compare. And for many explorers, it is even greater for its unseen and untold mysteries. This is how the art of mountaineering roots in the subconscious of many climbers. It calls like a voice from the unknown.
An extraordinary sport, an art in itself, and a myriad of meaningful interactions, of purposes, and the connection of the spiritual and the physical — THIS is mountaineering.
