LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY > FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK – TASMANIA > Wineglass Bay from Mt. Amos (Freycinet National Park)
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The best view of Wineglass Bay is from the summit of Mt. Amos. Mt. Amos is a mountain belonging to “The Hazards”, a small chain of granite peaks within Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania, just outside of Coles Bay. Although the track to the summit of Mt. Amos is a little challenging, the steep climb is well worth the rewarding view.
Photographer’s Reflection:
“Where can I go from your [God’s] Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)
“Beep beep! Beep beep!” I awoke with a start in the blackness of the early morning. This was it! The day had finally arrived!
I was going to attempt to climb Mt. Amos…alone…in the dark…in order to be in position to photograph sunrise over Wineglass Bay from the summit. It was midwinter, and judging from the hard frost on the inside of my car and the frozen slush coming out of the campground taps as I brushed my teeth, Mt. Amos would likely be completely frosted over and prove extremely dangerous and perhaps virtually impossible to climb.
Mt. Amos is not a mountain to contend with in wet or icy conditions because it is made out of steep, sheer granite. In a number of places, water has eroded the granite into very slippery, smooth surfaces that become extremely treacherous when frosty or wet.
In the past, I have been reduced to removing my socks and shoes in order to safely descend wet sections of Mt. Amos barefoot. And I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve descended other sections on my bottom because it was far too dangerous to stand. Towards the top there is also some decent rock scrambling which, if miscalculated, could send you plummeting to serious injury or death in poor conditions.
I decided that to climb Mt. Amos alone in the dark all iced over would be one of the bravest and/or stupidest things I have ever done.
In light of all this, I sought God’s guidance–as I always do–if I should still attempt the summit. Although my initial thought was to abandon it after seeing all the frost and ice on the ground, after prayer I sensed a peace to continue as planned, so I trusted the Lord and headed to the trailhead, remembering the Bible verse:
“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Though the beginning of the walk was all frosty, as soon as I hit the sheer, smooth granite it was completely dry, much to my amazement!
The dry conditions certainly came as a welcome relief, and though I had also been concerned about losing the track alone in the dark, the reflective triangles safely guided me all the way to the top. Amazingly, climbing Mt. Amos in the dark turned out to be as straightforward as climbing it in the day!
Everything went perfectly according to plan, including the weather, and the final result was a stunning sunrise over Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula from the [chilly] summit of Mt. Amos.
Although I hadn’t known the track was going to be safe, God did. And although I wasn’t sure if I could find the track in the dark, God did.
Even when all is dark and treacherous from our own human perspective, we can always trust God to safely guide us through. He is always faithful, he knows all things and he loves us; these are what give us the confidence to trust in him.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
“The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” (Psalm 145:13)