Climbing Mount la Soufrière

The quiet morning air was broken by the laughter and chatter of voices, young and old. Our family and friends were going to climb the four-thousand-foot volcanic mountain, Mount La Soufrière in St. Vincent. The first part of the journey was on level ground, lush with rain-fed vegetation. Tall, elegant bamboo trees stretched from some dark abyss below to absorb the bright sunlight. Wildflowers punctuated the vegetation and made it a pleasant hike. We easily climbed the first slope and cheered when the path leveled off before the next upward slope. As we climbed, the slopes became steeper. My brother, Branson, who worked for the Board of Tourism, had workers build log steps over the steep, slippery slopes to make the climb easier. But the steps were set so far apart that it took a stride to reach each one. One relative, Cheryl, struggled and fell behind, so three of us climbed slowly with her. The men made rough walking sticks to help us. In one place, the footpath on the level ground became very narrow. I shuddered as I glanced over the vegetation-covered slopes, which seemed to descend into the same dark abyss as the bamboos.

Two hours later, we saw the peak, but the last slope—about seventy-five feet wide—was covered with gravel. Young people, running down from the peak, loosened much of the gravel, yet with the help of the walking sticks, we made it to the top.

Before we got there, however, our guide admonished us to get down on our hands and knees and crawl to the summit because strong winds at the top could blow us over into the volcanic crater hundreds of feet below. He allowed us to peer over the precipice. There, glistening in the brilliant sunlight, was the crater lake, so calm and peaceful. It was hard to imagine that this could turn into a destructive force.

Climbing La Soufrière is like the Christian’s journey. It’s usually an upward climb. Sometimes the road is level and filled with many joys and blessings. Other times, we have to surmount challenges, trials, afflictions, and temptations. But with God’s help, as with the walking stick, we’ll reach the height that God wants us to achieve. Even then, at the top, we can slip or fall, but God, our Guide and Protector, will hold us safe till Jesus comes.

H. Anesta Thomas