Lucky we survived II

We have other things that seem like We are being protected from our own youthful stupidity. I had an experience while serving as a missionary in Switzerland. I may not have even told my parents about this one, yet, so Mom, Dad, if this is news, just remember, I am still here!


We had been given permission to travel on our "preparation Day", the day we normally did laundry, wrote letters home, went shopping, cleaned the apartment ,etc., on condition that we return by a certain time. We had chosen to go to a beautiful mountain lake not far from where we were assigned. The hike would climb about 1500 feet from the last tram(cable car) station, to an elevation of about 6000 ft. It was still cool enough in shadows of the mountains that this lake was still frozen solid enough to hold a small car, even though we were comfortably dressed in t-shirts, some of the group wore bermuda shorts, and we all wore our "tennis shoes" to hike in.


Next to this lake, a waterfall dropped off the mountain, falling about 100-150 ft., not into a basin or outlet stream, but into a hole carved by eon's of erosion. A local told us it was supposed to be around 700 ft deep, before it started sideways, but no one had really explored it, because there was always moving water and/or ice.


That day, the hole was surrounded by a mound of ice and snow that formed a huge bowl around the crevice. The hole was about 8-10 feet across, and sheeted in ice formations from the minor trickle of water that was part of the early spring run-off above. It was sooo beautiful! We wanted to get a closer look. A couple of us climbed the mound, slipping and sliding, having to retrace our steps more than once, having slipped to the bottom because of the ice and snow.


At the top of this ridge surrounding the bowl, we stopped to try a picture. I wanted to try and get a look down inside the hole, so I was holding my camera as far over my head as I could. I decided that it was still too flat. I took 3 steps down into the bowl, and got what turned out to be a spectacular photo. I climbed back up, and the first step outside of the bowl, my foot slipped on the ice, and I slid all the way to the bottom of the mound!


As I stood up, the realization of my stupidity hit me! The inside of that bowl was every bit as slick as the outside, and the "bottom" of the bowl ended in a cold black hole reportedly 700 feet deep!!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!


I have had many a nightmare about that choice, but it has also been a lesson for me. Sometimes, things seem enticing, exciting, and we fail to see the danger (sometimes even obvious danger). If we step too close, we may end up losing any ability to bail ourselves out. I honestly believe I was being protected that day, from my own bad choice, and I vowed that I would not put myself in that kind of danger again. Either physically or spiritually.


Lucky to have survived, lesson learned!