A summit is a time for seeing and a place for being. From here we can see some forty miles over rolling hills and valleys to infinity in the skies overhead.
There is a strong sense of friendly closeness - a living intimacy with all that is within this panorama vista-view of Appalachian Mountain Country Earth.
The seasons of this good Earth and those of our lives and our time on it, walk hand in hand together over these hills and through these valleys. There is a cooperative and caring concern for each other and toward all that we share through the growing green of Spring, the exuberant roman-candle burst of Summer wildflowers, the flaming foliage of Autumn and the quiet, white snows of Winter.
The sky above is without moonlight. Its blackness appears
immensely deep and intensely dark except for the glitter of the greatest number of stars
imaginable. Because the air is so clean and clear, so cold and dry and the sky is so dark,
the stars are absolutely as bright as they can possible be. Even the very small ones now
twinkle ever so brightly though ever so lightly.
Alone in the presence of all this glory we are wonder struck.
The silhouettes of the bare-limbed deciduous trees and the looming hulk of evergreens seem so much more distinct. Each tree stands out so clearly and there are so many stars glittering in the background, they seem to be attracted to the branches and hang suspended there like the most beautifully decorated of any holiday tree.
As we make exit from the deep forest into a clearing of trees, the wide open sky and its dazzling starlight takes our breath away. We stop and stare into the glorious sky for many breathless moments. We feel unable to move as well as breath at the sight of this overwhelming, inspirational view of the good heaven over the good Earth upon which we stand.
The summit, is indeed, a special and precious place. We stand spellbound in a very big appreciation for all creation and our own.
Copyright © 1988, 1999 Barbara A. Smith and John G. Hipps. All rights reserved.
This essay was first published November 16, 1988 in the Free-Press Courier, Westfield, Pennsylvania.