A
couple of summers ago I had the great opportunity of being able to go to what
is known as Philmont Scout Ranch which was definitely an experience of a
lifetime. One of the most memorable experiences I had there was the day that I
climb the highest mountain on the ranch, which was known as Mt. Baldy. Baldy was probably the most challenging
mountains I have ever climbed and its difficulty was derived from a combination
of its high altitude which made breathing fairly difficult, the loose rock that
covered the barren top of the mountain and made it more difficult to get solid
footing for a substantial distance while summiting, and the extreme incline
which was so steep that the last quarter of the way up I could reach out and
touch the mountain with my hands while I was standing upright. As I climbed/crawled up that mountain I
remember feeling a sense of terror in the pit of my stomach at the sheer height
and steepness of the mountain, and I had to will myself to try not to think
about how easy it would be for my to slip and slide all the way down the
mountain and break my neck if I lost my footing. However, I remember that
through the apprehension and fear I also felt an underlying fascination with
the mountain and when I dared to look up and out at the spectacular view below
me what I saw was absolutely breath-taking. After taking this class I now know that what I experienced
on top of that mountain is know as mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinans
and because of that experience I was truly able to appreciate Dr. Redick’s discussion
of these two ideas earlier in the semester.
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