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There seems to be a certain magical treat in store for whomever climbs Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park, California. The rock can be seen as you approach the park from Visilia, Calif. and when I first saw it, my first thought was how in the world would I ever get up that rock. For that is what it is. A Rock. An extremely huge rock. Thankfully, for us that can no longer scale the sides of such rocks, which really isn't recommended anyway for this particular one, the National Park Service has taken care of the problem. They have built a trail consisting of concrete paths, rails and steps, a lot of steps I might add. They have posted signs, stating that climbing should be done with caution and that people with medical conditions should take extreme care. They are right. However, I was determined to climb it, despite my medical conditions. I also lacked the courage to do it. But all that changed when a young woman around the age of 12 came into the retail shop of Lodgepole.
She caught my attention right away. It wasn't because she had braces on both legs and one arm, it was the shine in her eyes. You could practically touch the stars in them. She headed straight for the counter. Smiling broadly she asked
"DO YOU HAVE A TEE-SHIRT THAT SAYS 'I DID MORO ROCK'? I LEAD HER AND THE LADY WITH HER OVER TO THE MORO ROCK T-SHIRTS. "
"I AM AFRAID THIS IS ALL WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT, PERHAPS YOU MIGHT FIND SOMETHING IN HERE THAT IS CLOSE TO IT. DID YOU CLIMB MORO ROCK?" i ASKED HER.
"YOU BET I DID. IT TOOK ME FOREVER, BUT I DID IT, DIDN'T I MOM. I TOLD YOU I COULD DO IT."
HER MOTHER EYES GLISTENED WITH SMILING TEARS. "YOU SURE DID. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU."
As the young girl continued to search, she found several she liked but not what she really wanted. Her mother talked to me. She told me the child had MS, that she had actually been born with it. Her one main goal in this life was to climb Moro Rock. She had seen it many times, and wanted so desperately to get to the top of it. But, she didn't want to be carried, she wanted to do it on her own. So today, after several visits to the park over the previous years, she just did it. They settled on a tee that had a fabulous picture on it. Her mother told her, we will take it to an alterations shop, and we will have those words put on it. She left that shop, with me never knowing her name. But, she had given me so much more. She had given me the courage I needed to climb that rock. She also told me, that the real way to experience it would be in the dark. So, I finally got up the courage and I did it. I did Moro Rock, and then I did again, only this time I did it for her,, in the dark.
(c) A. J. Angerstein
july 26, 2009
Article views: 8165
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