Traveling Companion
“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself
came near and began walking with them.” Luke 24:15
We had started out early
in the day. It was mid-summer and the three of us had been planning the
backpacking trip well before Dale and I graduated high school that year. Dale
and I graduated together, and Dave was a year older. We had known each other
through our teens and attended the same church.
Now, leaving the San
Francisco Bay Area behind, we were chugging along toward Yosemite in Dale’s ’69
VW bug. Our plan was to make a base camp on the high plateau of Tuolumne
Meadows and follow the trail along the Tuolumne River to its “Grand Canyon”. The
adventures of that nine-day trip would fill a small book.
Before we ever reached Yosemite we noticed
white smoke and an acrid smell coming from the Bug’s floorboards. Our hearts
sank, expecting the worst. Did the climb into the Sierras put too much strain
on the small engine? Had the air-cooled system failed? We limped into a small
town, found an auto mechanic and crossed our fingers. We did not have time for
a major repair, let alone money to pay for it.
We ate a nervous lunch
while waiting to hear from the mechanic. Walking back to his shop, we steeled ourselves
for the bad news. “Well boys,” he said, “you’ve just got a couple burned-out
wires.” Next question: How much? “$90, and I can get you back on the road in an
hour.” We combined our finances, paid the man, and continued our adventure.
That evening we set up
our tents, talked around the campfire and planned our first day on the trail.
Having been told by the Park Ranger that bears were unusually aggressive that
summer, we also strategized how to keep our food from their reach.
Rising the next morning,
we made about four miles down the trail and set up camp in a semi-circle of
Ponderosa pines on the bank of the Tuolumne River. We put our food in a
drawstring bag and tied it off to a high branch about a quarter mile from our
camp. After fishing for a while we set up for the night.
The sky was clear and it
rarely rains in the summer in Central California, so we decided to sleep under
the stars. All three of us lay awake, enchanted by the inky sky dotted with
diamonds and pearls. We laughed, joked, and were glad we had made it this far.
About 2 a.m. Dave poked
me in the side and said, “Mark, are you awake?” “I am now”, I mumbled.” “There’s
a bear in our campsite!” I saw nothing, but I did not sleep the rest of the
night, every sound a 500-pound bear walking on twigs. Five minutes after Dave
gave me the frightening news, Dale sat straight up in his sleeping bag and
said, “Bear? Where’s a bear?” Then laid right back down asleep again.
We didn’t complete our trip
down the Tuolumne. Instead, we high-tailed it back to our base camp and came up
with a plan B. We drove to nearby June Lake to camp and do some fishing.
Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were worse than the bears! They were swarming
everywhere. Plus, they were so large that every time they took a bite out of
you they left a tip for the waiter. We made a quick “Plan C” decision to go
visit some of Dave’s relatives in Reno. We swam, did some river rafting and had
an incredible time.
Our adventure stays in my
memory because of my traveling companions. The men described in Luke 24 were
traveling together. Having witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, these two of His
followers were sad and distressed. Then Jesus joins them on the road. He joins
them in their journey, asks about their sorrow, and reminds them that the Son
of God was destined to suffer before He entered His glory.
It is not until they
arrive home, invite Him in and break bread together that they realize who He
is. “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he talked with us?” they said.
My journey with Dale and
Dave is one of my favorite memories, and I hope it is for them as well. But,
far sweeter, and far more permanent, is the present Traveling Companion I have
in the Risen Christ. He has never left me in this long journey; not through the
difficulties, nor in my frailties.
We were not meant to journey alone. Be encouraged, invite Jesus to travel with you. Not only is He your companion, He is the Way itself. Rely on Him, put all your trust in Him. You were made for friendship with the God of all Creation through Jesus the Risen One.
