I came to Bell Mountain to build with my own hands and head a simple one room wood shanty situated just below the peak's craggy summit surrounded by a ocean of green piney forests populated by squirrels, bears and the occasional tawney coated ghost cats that stealthily roam this vast Mountain range in north central Colorado.
It must be said at the outset that Bell Mountain is a lesser structure compared to the better known and more massive peaks in the area. In fact, Bell Mountain is more of a large rockpile situated at the northern tail end of a high rocky ridge streaming down into Clear Creek Canyon from the better known and much larger and taller peak known here as Santa Fe Mountain which looms high above Idaho Springs to almost 11,000 feet.
From the perspective of a cartwheeling red tailed hawk Santa Fe Mountain would look much like the palm of a hand with ridges emanating outward and down towards the canyon floor much like fingers. Webbed between these fingered ridges are craggy gorges. Back home in Illinois we would call these gorges ravines or draws. Here they are called gulches. No matter what they are called these seemingly bottomless high walled canyons carved deep furrows into the granite rock and carry small fast flowing streams which empty in the mighty turbid waters of Clear Creek.
I felt I would gain by solitude amidst the isolated timber atop Bell Mountain what I could not otherwise obtain by remaining in the busyness of the touristic commercialism of town living. What that gain is is yet to be determined.
Christ once said that he is the way, the truth and the life. The way speaks of Christ himself being the lesser traveled road, an out of the way path with an end destination being life itself. This way is the way of truth which conveys to me the concept of reality generally and absolute reality particularly. So, Christ is THE way through reality into life and life more abundantly.
The non-canonical book of the Gospel of Thomas says for us to be passersby only and not to build houses on bridges. In other words, we are only pilgrims here in this age and our goal should not be building our own little kingdom as this life is transient in nature and scope. You wouldn't build a house on a bridge because a bridge is designed for traveling between two points. Life thus is described by Christ as traveling with him...as the bridge between this age and the age to come.
I guess that may be the thing I'm seeking on this journey which is nothing less than true life built on a foundation of reality not some concoction I or the vainglory of philosophy devised. But, as I said, what I'm seeking remains to be found.
My hope is that the quiet solitude of spending blustery winter days and cold winter nights sequestered alone in my one room wood hovel atop Bell Mountain will some how uncover the veil and reveal what God would have me know. And, isn't that what life is about for all of us...seeking him the creator and author of life?
