Love Your Enemies, Yeah, Right!

Sage Pass, Alberta, Canada
Aug, ‘73

The first night, I camped at Twin Lakes. The lakes were beautiful and
even more so from the top of Sage Pass. My campsite was a trail
campsite with a roof and half-enclosed walls, so it made it easy for
me to cook, and gave me a dry place to sleep if it rained. That night
was cold, but I made it through with help from the caretaker. A large
doe, totally unafraid of humans, came into the shelter during the
night to check out the lump on the picnic table. That lump was me
trying to keep warm. In the morning I found the doe out front doing
her bit to keep the grass short. She went about her business as if I
wasn't even there.

I was in a great spot. I was only four miles into my hike, but I was
at a pretty nice place. Nobody was around, so I decided to stay there.
I was reading the Bible for the first time. I was reading it like I
would read any other book. I wondered why I had never done that
before. All the stuff that I had got piecemeal was unfolding right
before my eyes. Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John were right there with me,
telling me the story of Jesus. And the best part about it was that I
was in the wilderness hearing the Jesus story high up in the Canadian
Rockies. What better place to receive the "good news." I wasn't
getting carried away, though, far from it. It's just that I was
beginning to see Jesus for the first time, telling everybody who would
listen, that God was merciful and that He would be there for you. Perfection
was not required. He just wanted people to "know Him," and with that
knowledge would come the desire--the need--to love your brother, your
neighbor, your countrymen, and your fellow human beings. And for that
Jesus was crucified. (Let's see, if I were to tell my "countrymen" to
love their enemies, what would that get me? Let's just forget I
asked.) I was glad I decided to hang with the Bible. It rained all
afternoon, and I was nicely tucked away in my own little shelter. I
read right up until nightfall, and then a husband and wife team
strolled into camp. They had come to do some fishing. It was another
very cold night.

Sage Pass

In a sea of mountain peaks,
the silence of serenity,
a warm sun above,
a gentle breeze below, and
two emerald green lakes
revealed in their glory.
My view from atop this mountain
is appearance, not enlightenment.