The History of Jesus on Mount Washington

Jesus presents the USGS marker on the summit.

     If anyone ever asks me what my favorite place in the world to be is, it would be Mount Washington. I see beauty, peace, and it represents change. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the North Eastern States at 6,288 ft (1,917 m). It is famous for its dangerously erratic weather, and long held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, 231mph (372 km/h) (or 103 m/s), on the afternoon of April 12, 1934. It was known as Agiocochook, or "Home of the Great Spirit", before European settlers arrived. The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, in Coos Country, New Hampshire. While nearly the whole mountain is in the White Mountain National Forest, an area of 59 acres surrounding and including the summit is occupied by Mount Washington State Park [Wikipedia]. 

      
     At the summit of Mount Washington there is the Mount Washington Observatory. The Observatory is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution, and its mission is to advance understanding of the natural systems that create the Earth's weather and climate. The first regular meteorological observations on Mount Washington were conducted by the U.S. Signal Service, a precursor of the Weather Bureau, from 1870 to 1892. The Mount Washington Observatory reoccupied the summit in 1932 through the enthusiasm of a group of individuals who recognized the value of a scientific facility at that demanding location. In April of 1934, observers measured a wind gust of 231mph, which remains a world recoredfor a surface station. The Observatory continues to record and disseminate weather information. It also serves as a benchmark station for the measurement of cosmic ray activity in the upper atmosphere, develops robust instrumentation for severe weather environments and conducts many types of severe weather research and testing [Mount Washington Observatory]. 

Seek the Peak 2010: Climbing partners Alexis and Al.

     To date in the eternal battle of woman vs. mountain, woman 10, mountain 0! I think that one of the most amazing things about this mountain is that every time I climb, there is something different to experience. Some times it is differing weather conditions, different climbing partners, and different trails. The most surprising is that I have a tendency of climbing up one person, and coming down someone different. The first time I climbed Mount Washington, I climbed by myself, and had never set out on such a journey alone. It was also roughly a year after I developed a lesion on my spinal cord. I went up unsure, and looking for something I was scared that I had lost from having spinal cord damage. I came down reassured, feeling healed, and that this was only the beginning of adventures I was scared I lost. My most pronounced change came when I was a summit volunteer for a week. I went up the mountain a corrections officer, was offered a job while I was on the summit, and came down an advocate for victims of domestic violence. Now I return to climb at least once a year, it serves as a check point.

After a hard day of climbing, there is nothing Jesus likes more than Park Service pizza!

     Recently at Axis we learned about spiritual pathways. There are many ways that people seek and experience God. It was no surprise to me that I feel my closest connection to God while in nature. While at the Axis retreat I was given time to explore my spiritual pathway, which involved me going to the lake, climbing a tree, and hanging upside down. I can not claim that I understand everything about God, however I do find that changing my view, whether upside down or sideways, can offer fresh perspective. Often when I am in nature it humbles me to know that this world is so much bigger than myself. I feel God's presence strongly, and I see the beauty in his creation.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27 NIV

I drew, and took this while taken aback by the view at the top of Huntington's Ravine.

     In 2008 I was blessed with the opportunity to be a summit volunteer for a week. While on the summit I was offered the chance to write the observer comments for the day, as well as use some of the pictures I had taken in the previous few days. My comment is below, however it can also be viewed on the observer comment archive.

Finding Your Way

  

15:32 Tue Sep 16th

     Even though I grew up in a suburb just outside of Chicago I have never considered myself to be a city person. However now that I live in Maine, the extremes of Chicago weather is what I miss most. Some of my fondest memories as child are of my Father and me sitting on the back porch watching intense lightning displays. Even now as a photographer, weather continues to captivate me and it is what I find so alluring about Mount Washington.

     I feel fortunate not only for having been a volunteer this week, but also for this chance to share some of my thoughts and experiences. It is sometimes difficult for me to put my thoughts into words; perhaps that is why I take such comfort in the medium of photography. Over the last week, I have taken a great deal of pictures and I would like to share the ones that I feel most effectively communicate the inspiring nature of the Mount Washington Observatory and the surrounding White Mountains.

Vertigo

     Vertigo: To pay the rent I work the night shift as a corrections officer. Wednesday morning invited me with sun and  blue skies, however I found my body struggling to adjust to the time difference. Even though the summit was in the clouds, they seemed to be inviting clouds. After making our way up the auto road , it was soon apparent that that enchanting cloud had deceived me. As soon as we got out of the van we were inundated by winds of up to 50 mph, wind chills of 20 degrees and ice. It made unloading and loading the van intense. By the end of the day I had felt like my life had been turned upside down.

Flow

Flow: There is something very comforting about the natural flow of nature. It almost seems to piece together effortlessly, however one must stop from time to time to truly admire this intricate process of ebb and flow.

Ebb

Common Ground: Also published in the Best of Photography Annual 2009

      Common Ground: For years people have traveled up and down the cog railway. We can share experiences together, or we can bring our experiences together. Seemingly different at first glance, my fellow volunteer Franca and I have found that we have many experiences that run parallel. Whether it be our experience with preparing food or ballet.

Reverenc

     Reverence: Sometimes I can not help but stand back and be in awe. It gives a sense of purpose and peace.

Prospects

     Prospects: It is experiences such as this that give me a certain sense of hope. Something to look forward to as well as something to look back to.

     I know that there is a part of me that this place has changed for the better. It is my hope that I have done something here to reciprocate that gift. The observers and staff of the Mount Washington Observatory have given me a precious opportunity of which I am truly thankful for. I know that tomorrow I will leave this place with a certain sense of calmness in my heart.

     These may only be a few of the pictures I have taken while on Mount Washington, that is until next year at least. Every July it calls my name, it is time again to look back on the past, and then proceed to the future.

Jesus proclaims Here am I

     This last weekend I attended the AXIS fall retreat at Timber-Lee Christian Center in East Troy Wisconsin. "AXIS is a community of 18-29 year olds who believe something phenomenal about each other: That each one has been designed uniquely by God to engage the world as only they can" [From AXIS website]. It is one of many ministries at Willow Creek Community Church, and something I am excited to be a part of.

     Having moved back to the area, finding a community of people to interact with me has been important. A lot can change in 9 years, however I went back to the most familiar place I could think of.  I can not claim that I grew up in the church, rather that a determined set of high school friends brought Christianity to me. I came to know God through Student Impact, which is a ministry of Willow Creek directed towards high school students. I was not interested in church, or the idea of Christianity, I conceded to attend because I thought my friends would stop asking me to go if I went once. It was the beginning of an amazing transformation which will be a more direct topic of a future entry. However, for more information about Willow Creek, visit www.willowcreek.org.

 
     Jesus arrives and Willow Creek and is ready for a weekend of teaching, and worship. I am really glad that Jesus was so enthusiastic because honestly, I was nervous for what this weekend would bring. It had been 9 years since I had been to Willow Creek, and I admit, my relationship with God is not the same as when I left. While in Maine I struggled to find a community that I could really connect strongly with. A month an a half ago when I moved back, I went to Willow not because I was feeling excited about God, rather because it seemed like the right thing to do. Willow is a large church, and I had planned to use that to my advantage and try to be invisible. However my plan failed, people welcomed me, and before long I was signed up to attend the AXIS retreat. 

     It was quite an internal struggle as to whether I would attend the retreat or not. In the end I decided to go along with it, and follow the motions. Maybe it was not the best way to make a decision, and maybe it was not the right reason, never-the-less I made it to Timber-Lee to say "Here I Am". In our first session we learned about two different ways of seeking God, each with three characteristics. One from the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus, and the other from a vision of the prophet Isiah. Moses' story "Here I Am" included having: 1 no expectations, 2 afraid to look at God, and 3 resists God's voice. Wait, what? That's me, this is going to be a long weekend! "Here am I", Isiah's story included: 1 willingness to look at God, 2 understanding one's own position, and 3 mend my sole/asking God to heal. Yes, I am not a perfect human, nor a perfect Christian. I may not be in the right state of mind all the time, however the importance of this message was clear. How can one be in a state where they can take as much from this retreat as it has to offer.

     Jesus makes a new friend, and so do I. Sarah does not know this yet, however she was integral in helping me transition this weekend from following the motions, to actively engaging. It was amazing the similarities we shared, and she is a fantastic and kind person. Cheesy as it may sound, it is true. It is really nice to know you are not the only one in whatever issue you may face.

   
     Before long Jesus and I had an entire group of friends. For such a large church, it is amazingly difficult to go unnoticed. Even though I wanted to be invisible, I am glad that people were inviting, and wanted to get to know me. Going to this retreat I wanted to be invisible because I did not want to answer any question, and I did not want anyone to ask for my opinion. I was perfectly happy to sit back and be an innocent bystander. If there is one thing true about AXIS, not only are they excited about God, but also they are excited to share God with you.

     Jesus says drink your milk! Not only should you drink your milk, be sure to obtain it from the proper cooler! Jesus is watching...

     Jesus was on overdrive this weekend, here he takes a minute to refuel. The weekend was packed with activities, and little sleep, I'm not going to lie.

     "God you are here with us, constantly here with us. You are everything faithful and true." Here Jesus says simply amazing job Charlie Hall, give me five! Our worship this weekend was led by the Charlie Hall Band. I found his lyrics inspirational, honest, and real. The music was truly fantastic, and we were all blessed to have the band our guests. If you are interested, which you should be, check out The Charlie Hall Band.

     One fine looking group! This would be Jesus' version of Wheres Waldo.

     Maybe I attended this retreat merely for the reason that it felt like the right thing to do. Following the motions may not always be such a bad thing, one just has to realize when the motions lead them to where they were supposed to go in the first place. I cannot say that I have everything figured out, but It feels ok that I do not because I have found a group or people to help me along in this journey. To learn more about what it means to be part of a community that believes there is something amazing and unique about each of its members, visit AXIS.

Jesus defeats Mount Katahdin

     Mount Katahdin was named by the Penobscot Indians and stands for "The Greatest Mountain".  Standing at 5268 feet it is not only the tallest mountain in Maine, but also the terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is a marked hiking trail that starts in Springer Mountain Georgia, and is roughly 2179 miles long. Hiking the entirety of the AT is one of my future goals, hopefully to be accomplished within the next 5 years. I am hoping to give this to myself as a present for finishing nursing school.

     This particular trip up Katahdin was with my friend Justin. I met Justin while working at the Washington County Jail, and he has since become one of my good friends. We have spent many a night in jail talking about photography, hiking, and our goals in life. I admire him greatly, and feel like he taught me a lot about working in law enforcement.

     We had intentions of doing the knifes edge on this trip, however weather was not on our side on this particular day. Actually a park ranger made us sign something saying we would not hike the Knifes Edge. The Knifes Edge is a 1.1 mile long trail that goes from Pamola Peak to Baxter Peak. There are parts that narrow to about 4 feet wide with 2,000-foot drops to either side, and has climbed roughly 19 lives since 1963. It's truly an amazing sight to see. We were both disappointed, however our mission was clear. We decided to hike up Abol/Hunt, and descend on the Hunt/Katahdin Stream. We were under good authority that Abol was a great trail, or so we thought. There is this guy named AJ out there, I know he is Justin's friend, but if I ever meet him I am going to punch him in the face.

     The climb starts out well, it is hot outside, a little cloudy, but not bad for climbing. The Abol Trail that has "a few area that are steep" quickly turns into two miles of near vertical rock climbing. Hey I like a challenge, however I didn't know what we were in for. The weather was off and on, there was a little rain. As we continued to climb and the trees were getting smaller, it was getting colder and the wind was picking up. About half a mile from the table it started to rain, so we busted out the rain gear. The real mission started when we got to the table.

     Oh look a sign! Signs are always very exciting to see on a climb. So now what has started as a day in the mid 70's partly cloudy, has turned into rain, winds of 50-60mph and rough 40 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point we had about 1 more mile left to get to Baxter Peak. It was the longest mile ever!

     Victory is ours! Mopsy and Flopsy(nicknames given to us by the most amazing Lt. ever. You know who you are...Judy) bag Mount Katahdin.

    
    Here you can see the actual sign. I know in the last one you cannot see it, however trust me, it's there! I like how the camera truly shows how wicked the weather was. Justin was not even 5 feet away from me when he took this.

     The descent was long, however the Hunt/Katahdin Stream Trail was fun. There are many places on this trail that have some tough scrambles. The entire way down we kept telling ourselves there was pizza at the bottom. When it comes to Justin and I, pizza is an amazing motivator. Our last hurdle was the walk from the bottom of the trail back to Abol. The park ranger told us it was only a few hundred feet or so. I am not sure how this translated to another mile mostly up hill. God bless the people who were driving by and took pity on us.

     It was one of the most difficult climbs I have ever made, a lot of it I'm sure was due to extremely adverse weather conditions. However there was pizza, and then there was beer, a bon fire, and then we were back in out little "Cozy Cabin".

Jesus takes some R&R in the Wisconsin Dells

     My parents own an RV trailer that the keep at a seasonal camp ground near the Wisconsin Dells. Taking advantage of some beautiful weather I decided to spend a weekend with them at camp. One thing I love about going to the trailer is that it reminds me of being in Maine, and it is a good place to just sit around and drink beer all day. A set of family friends also have a trailer a few site down, and Saturday night dinner is always a big affair. Most of Saturday afternoon is spent doing errands not only for dinner, but also for the week.

     "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

     Here we find Jesus at the Elite Bakery in Baraboo. This is a wonderful little shop that makes breads, doughnuts, and bagels using all natural ingredients and no preservatives. I am a particular fan of the sport bread, however we also got a loaf of the rye bread, and a lemon bar that was über tasty!

Next we found ourselves at the apple orchard. It was the first weekend of the apple season. There was not much out this weekend, however if you are in the area, there is not better place to buy an apple pie that the Ski-Hi orchard.

     "Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food." Genesis 1:29

     It is not only fun to go eat apple pie, candy apples, and other home made local treats, but also fun to go play among the trees. It makes me a little said that apple season is here, because soon the trees will turn and winter will be here. However on this beautiful day, I chose to rejoice in apple season as this means pumpkins are not far behind! Say it with me, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!

     Down the street from the trailer there is a farmer that cultivates sunflowers. You know you never realize just how short you are until you stand next to a sunflower. On errand of the day that Jesus decided not to show up for was the meat market. The lighting just didn't flatter his subtle characteristics.

Jesus is neither here, nor there.

     One great thing about being in Downeast Maine is that it shares a border with New Brunswick Canada. The US Customs were wonderful in allowing my friend Jenn and I to walk out to the center of the international bride in Calais Maine. At first they were a little skeptical, but once they saw Jesus, they made the right choice. It was only recently that one needed a passport to enter Canada, and then re-enter the United States. There only being on exception, the International Festival. Every year there is a parade that starts in the United States, and then proceeds over the bridge and ends in Canada. Last year I was lucky enough to be able to dance my way over the border with Barbara's International School of Dance. If you are in the area, check out Barbara's and make sure to stop in for a Zumba class. Which Jenn and I did, just after eating a yummy dinner. Not only will Barbara kick your butt into shape, she will do it in heels!

Jesus at the Wisconsin State Fair.

       The Wisconsin State Fair is known for frying everything under the sun, and putting it on a stick. Honestly I am not really a fan of fried food, and I find it no more enticing because it has been shoved on a stick. This particular day at the fair was 95 degrees outside, and the only notable thing I had that day was lemonade. Not even the fresh lemonade that comes out of the little carts for $4.00, the lemonade that most likely came from a powder and was oddly located at the Chinese Station.

    
     Here we have the fried pickle. You may be panicking because it is a friend pickle sans stick. But rest assured people, it is at least fried. I do have to admit though, the fried pickles I am used to in Maine are far superior. The pickle was good, the batter, not so much.

     You can not go to far at the fair and not meet some animals. This was one huge rooster! Perhaps I was missing the point of the state fair, however the animals made me sad. It was 95 degrees outside, and only hotter inside. And then too be on show, poked and prodded for a week or two? This might make for some angry cock.

 

     I do not exactly know why, but I love cows! Here we have Jesus in "The House of Moo". Looking at this picture I realize the limitations of my digital Elph versus my 40D, depth of field is less than desired. Right outside the House of Moo, one can purchase a glass of milk for 25 cents! There were such varieties as banana, chocolate, root beer, strawberry, and vanilla cherry. Also next to the House of Moo one could learn of all the wonders of milking cows and pasteurization.

     Perhaps one of the most famous things at the state fair are the cream puffs roughly the size of a human head. There is almost an entire building dedicated to manufacturing said cream puffs. Where I was not here for the cream puffs, there was air conditioning in here! That is not to say that they are probably delicious, however there is only so much damage one can do to their digestive system in one day.

     We left the state fair with a fairly ambiguous response. The food was expensive, and honestly not that good. Most of it I would not even attempt to eat. Should cheeseburgers really be made with two Krispy Kremes as the bun? Does bacon really need to be dunked in chocolate and put on a stick? There was a station for wine tasting that was well worth the $5, however after paying to park, paying entrance to the fair, and outrageous food prices, I felt as though I had gotten very little.

    This is not to say that this day was not amazing. After departing the fair we went to go see Ingrid Michaelson play an incredible show! Afterwards we sang outside her tour bus with signs, and of course a ukulele! The Huge success of the day was when we actually got to meet Allie Moss, Bess Rogers, and Ingrid Michaelson herself!

Jesus on the 45th Parallel

     The 45th parallel is the line of latitude that marks the half way point between the equator and the north pole. There are many places in the United States and around the world that intersect with this 45th parallel, however this point in located in Perry Maine. One may be surprised how areas can be linked to one another. A few weeks ago one of my friends wondered in Maine winters are worse than Wisconsin winters because it is so much farther "North". This notion of "North" is just not true as the 45th parallel also runs through Wisconsin. That is not to say that both Maine and Wisconsin still have horrible aspects about each of their respective Winters. While taking Oceanography in college we learned that is not the notion of how far North or South an area may be. It is a mix of not on ocean currents, but also wind gyres that determine an areas climate.

     In the United States the 45th parallel goes through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. This line also connects us to Canada, Japan, Ukraine, China, Mongolia, Italy, France, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and Croatia to name a few.  If you wish to further get your geek on, here is a map of interesting coordinates found on the 45th parallel that I found on Wikipedia: http://maps.google.com/maps?.q=http://toolserver.org/~para/cgi-bin/kmlexport%3Farticle%3D45th_parallel_north%26usecache%3D1