Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, October 12, 2023
A grizzled grey man used to walk by our house every day with his German Shepherd dog. We finally managed to walk out to the road to say hello. He was friendly and after a couple of roadside chats, we learned he loved to hike mountains. He climbed a 17000-foot peak in Nepal with his daughter. I can’t remember the name of the peak now. He has climbed Mount Rainier and other peaks in the Northwest.
He said of all the places he has visited, one of the places he loves the most is nearby. That is Rampart Lakes on Snoqualmie Pass. He said it is a beautiful peaceful place that he loves to visit. It is just above Rachel Lake, which is a popular hiking area. He even sat down with a handful of maps to show us right where it is.
We kept his recommendation in mind as we planned various hikes, but it never seemed to work out for us to visit Rampart Lakes. One time we went to Lila lake to meet our son, which is on the same ridge, but in a different direction.
Finally, we had the chance to go to Rampart Lakes. It meant we would be hiking back to the car after dark because we got a late start, but we took the opportunity. The Rampart Lakes did not disappoint. The image above includes three of the lakes.
Sometimes I think of the Bible writers as old timers. It might be tempting to think their advice and wisdom is out of date. But when we stop to think about the words in the Bible, they make a lot of sense.
Our old timer still lives in the neighborhood, but with upcoming knee surgery he has not been hiking by the house. But we told him about our trip and how right he was. He smiled and was glad we made the effort.
Likewise, by following sound advice in the Bible, we will be glad through and through.