Landscapes of the Sacred Reflection #2 (Pg 94)

In this passage, the author reflects on their sacred place, Mount Rainer. The author talks about his journey by car around the base of Mount Rainer. This passage can be compared to that of a sacred journey being that as they journeyed they encountered drawbacks, but kept going only to be rewarded by the beauty the journey offered. This is most likely considered a sacred journey to the traveler but I wonder, how can it be a sacred journey when traveled by car? I suppose it can be considered one, they stopped driving every so often and got out to reflect on the beauty of nature. When traveling they hit a couple of road blocks, literally. When trying to drive on higher elevation they were stopped because of a road closing due to the snow that had accumulated at 5,000 feet. This can represent the struggles that can affect someone when on a spiritual journey, the weather can be one of the most unpredictable aspects of ones journey. One of the things that stood out to me the most in this journey is how descriptive the author is about the scenery around him. The amount of detail he uses shows how much he is taking in the nature and the spiritual aspect of his journey. One of my favorite excerpts from the passage was, "Everything was intensely quiet. One could almost hear the roar of growth itself-- water being heaved up a hundred feet through the pholem fibers in the trunks of trees, oxygen relentlessly pumped through the stomata of fir leaves and moss blades, a symphony of seedlings insistently extending new roots into the soil below." To me this passage reflects not only the growth of nature but the growth of life and growth of ones spiritual journey. The writer, when talking about this journey around Mount Rainer talks about many other mountains that he has ventured on. He talks about Tahoma and he calls it "The Mountain That Was God." "God's holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth" (Psalms 48:1-2). To me these different mountains represent the trek of life, the journey may be long and hard but once you reach the top the reward is great.