{ Adventure Is Out There! }: A Trail, a Cross, and--SQUIRREL!

We have many perks with our jobs, two of which are donut Mondays and waffle Wednesdays. With those perks, we have to come up with creative ways to keep fit (especially since we’re not biking every day anymore). One way we combat the evil calories found in those heavenly treats is hiking. Last Friday we chose Mount Roberts to hike.

Yes, indeed. That's a maple bar with bacon on top.

Another perk of one of our jobs is season passes to the Mount Roberts Tramway. On Friday we went for our second time this season. (Here’s a post of the first time.)

Aerial view of one of our jobs.
One of the crooked buses is mine most likely.

The shadow of the tram on the forest below.

We were once again delighted with great views on our way up and were even more delighted when we spotted a bald eagle soaring near the cable car entrance.

Only in Alaska.

Once we jumped off the cable car, we headed towards a trail Eric used to go on to pass the time when he would arrive early for work last summer.

Tlingit art along the trail.

Breathtaking.

This trail goes up higher on the mountain towards Father Brown’s Cross in a clearing with amazing views of the channel.

Because of its absence in Latter-day Saint worship, as a child, I almost felt like the cross was a taboo thing. Unfamiliarity is what caused this feeling. But as I grew up, my understanding of its symbolic nature became clearer to me as I gained my testimony of our Savior, and—through Sunday school lessons, family home evenings with mom and dad, and being surrounded by faithful Christians of other denominations—I came to respect the simple yet profound sign.

Though it is not a symbol that Mormons use in worship, it is still something to be reverenced by all Christians, especially Latter-day Saints, because of its association to the greatest event of human history, to the most perfect act of love, and to the Lord we love and worship.

Further, here’s a quote by a guy who knows his stuff. Gordon B. Hinckley, the last prophet, gave a great response when questioned about the absence of the cross in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

…because our Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the symbol of our faith. But what shall we use? No sign, no work of art, no representation of form is adequate to express the glory and the wonder of the Living Christ. He told us what that symbol should be when He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

…And so our lives must become a meaningful expression, the symbol of our declaration of our testimony of the Living Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God.

It is that simple, my brethren and sisters, and that profound and we’d better never forget it.

(Link to the article this quote if from)

It’s very peaceful up there, a great place to contemplate the beauty of God’s creations and the beauty of the His Son’s Sacrifice.

Afterwards, we hiked all the way down Mount Roberts (about 3 miles) and then down through the “Little San Francisco” (aka “downtown”) to our car.

Curved trees along the trail. Oh, and me.

I stopped frequently on the trail down the mountain to take pictures of the wildlife around us. Specifically, I went a little crazy with taking pictures of squirrels on the trail. Don’t ask me why. I don’t even know why. Eric—my dear, loving husband—didn’t skip a beat with teasing me when I would obsessively chase after the rodents with my camera in hand.

At one point, I stopped on the trail—not to take a picture of the squirrel, thank you—to soak in the grandeur and beauty of the rain forest. Eric, who was ahead of me, turned around and asked, “What? Did you see another squirrel?”