ROCKIN' the Waterfall

“We were thinking of hiking to see a waterfall today… what do you think?” she asked.

“I’d love to!” I answered.

“It’s supposed to be just a 1 ½ - 2 mile hike.”

“I walk that far all the time! I’m in!” I declared confidently. And so we were off.

It was the day we had reserved our taxi and its driver for the duration, and as I mentioned earlier, he decided to join us for the hike. Soon we found ourselves at the starting point for the trek to Mount Meru Waterfall, had purchased our entry tickets, and were ready to set off.  I thought it was strange that they sent two guides along with us, as it was just a couple of miles, at most, to the falls, along a well-marked path. But I shrugged it off, and we set off, marveling at the tropical vegetation around us, and in high spirits, excited about what we were soon to see.

And then we came to a point that was marked “Starting Descent”… and suddenly it hit me. Why had I thought it was going to be a flat hike to see the falls, when obviously the word itself suggests a significant drop in elevation? Everybody stopped and looked at me.

“Are you sure you want to do this? We can go back!” my son and daughter-in-law offered. But we had already paid the money, and I didn’t want to hold them back from an experience they were sure to enjoy. This was their trip, after all!

“No, I can do it,” I answered, with much more confidence than I was feeling. And so we continued.

Going down wasn’t so bad. There were huge steps cut into the rocky path, and handrails to hang on to. Finally we reached the stream bed at the bottom, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “So far, so good,” I nodded to myself.

I had no idea how far we had to go along the watercourse at the bottom; it was littered with rocks of various sizes, most of them wet, and the climbing over them was careful and slow. Kevin and Alex, even Omar our taxi driver, moved along without problem…and I followed behind, with the guides on either side, who were quick to grab an arm to steady me or reach out a hand to pull me up over an especially large boulder in the way. One was wearing shoes, but the other walked barefoot in the icy water, to better help me along. Soon we heard the sound of the falling water, and our excitement mounted as we knew we were getting close! And suddenly, around a bend, there it was -  a spectacular veil of water falling from a great ways up over a rocky cliff – stunningly beautiful!

We cheered and clapped, and then the guides broke out into a local song, clapping their hands as they sang while I waved my arms in the air, a huge and delighted smile on my face! It was just a glorious moment! Kevin and Alex and the guides climbed further up on the rocks closer to the falls, but I was content to sit on a rock at its base and watch their progress from below until they made their way back down. Soon some other people came along the creek we had followed, their big dog hopping from rock to rock in a manner that put my struggling efforts to shame. So we turned to start the trek back.

Again the guides helped me on either side to clamber over the slippery rocks in the waterway, but I knew that was the easier part of the walk back, dreading the climb back up the hill that faced us yet. I knew I would be SLOW, and hated the thought of holding everybody back. But God in His providence took care of that Himself. Not only had he provided two “angels” to help me over the rocks on the flat, but He timed our return so that there was a large woman with a small child both in front of us and behind us! They, too, were understandably moving slowly, and my embarrassment at having the two guides helping me on the climb up was eased when the woman behind me called repeatedly to them to come back and help her and her son up, too., giving me a chance to catch an extra breath or two while they went back and forth to help her, as well! My son was likewise extremely solicitous, demanding that we stop and rest far more often than I knew he needed to for himself or Alex! But the woman in front of us with the small child was doing the same, taking it slow. I was grateful! And soon we made it to the top again, none the worse for wear and excited to have had such an adventure on our last day in town.

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

(Psalm 91:11-12 NIV)