A Hike to Sacred Ground

Saturday Morning: Up the Mountain to Two Trees

The prosthetic and physical therapy teams decided we would hike up the mountain to watch the sun rise today. This task involves waking up quite early so we can be on the road by 5:00 am. We met up at the prosthetists’ house and began climbing the mountain. We kept climbing and climbing! It was dark so flashlights were a must. It also appeared to be rush hour as many people were heading up to the well to get their daily supply of water and a bath in. The well had a pump and was the center of community life as folks gathered to visit, bathe, or collect water. Children and adults alike were everywhere. We had not even completed a third of the trek yet! As we continued onward, more and more barefoot kids joined our group.

The footing is extremely rocky, steep, and slippery. Nevertheless we forged ahead. As we reached higher spots, we would pause momentarily to catch our breath and let our screaming thighs calm down. Although there are many paths up the mountain, it was comforting to know that we were in a group and would not let each other get lost. The local children seemed to know the routine quite well and happily guided us up the mountain. When we reached the top, we could see the entire Artibonite Valley in front of us. There were mountains surrounding it on all sides with a muddy looking river meandering its way through the green valley. Far below was the water tower of HAS. We stood in awe of the raw beauty before us. The full moon in the western sky was still hanging around, a bit sheepish to give way to the sun. A mist on the valley becoming visible below made it clear the sun would soon be banishing the moon from the heavens. The two would both be present together for only a moment in the sky before the moon would have to leave its place in the sky and tuck behind the western mountains.

We learned that this place called Two Trees is sacred ground. People come here each morning to pray and sing praises to God. (There has also been much similar singing at night which we can hear as we lie in our beds since the cholera outbreak.) The singing of a couple of ladies added to the ambiance of the moment. Haiti - beautifully difficult.

Suddenly, at 6:00 am on the dot, the sun began to peek through the distant mountains. Shades of purple, browns, and greens of the mountains gave way to the bright orange fire ball of the sun. Slowly the sun began to show it face with exquisite glory. The views were spectacular. We continued to remain in this sacred spot enjoying the view, the time, and each other. The children from the villages below continued to entertain us and wanted many pictures to be taken. Then reality hit us and we had to come down from the steep mountain. Two of the young teenage girls each took one of my hands and walked me down the steep rugged mountain paths. It was nice to have the company of these girls for balance but it turned out they were using me for balance as well! They removed their fancy sandals for the decent and preferred traversing the rugged slopes barefoot. For me, Keens rock!