Recently we walked the new Ashley Gorge Skyline Track, which climbs out of the gorge to the open tops above. The new track was completed in March 2026 by the volunteer Ashley Gorge Tracks Group and involves a short section across private property. From the river at about 220 m above sea level, the track goes up to a high point of 768 m above sea level.

Several things that I noted:

1. The views from the high point and upper ridge are really nice: over the Canterbury Plains, but also good views of the Mt Thomas Forest, the Oxford Forest, and the Puketeraki Range beyond, with glimpses of the Torlesse Range.
2. The track is really steep and at times a bit of scrambling is required. While it does not go past any steep drops, the slopes are not always easy.
3. While there are sufficient markers and the vegetation has been trimmed, in many places the track is actually not well formed.

It’s this last point that made me realise that I normally walk on tracks that have been used for decades and are therefore easy to follow. This track is still new and has not been worn in. A clear ground trail has not always been formed. That makes it a bit harder on the feet, because as you walk along a slope, you can’t place them flat on the track. It’s also clear that a path is forming as more people walk this new track. Soon the track will be easier to follow. But then muddy patches will form and part of the advantage of having a well-trodden path will change.

As I was walking up the slopes of Ashley Gorge, I immediately had to think whether that experience could also be seen figuratively. Do those who do new things also have similar difficulties at the beginning and those who follow after them have it easier to keep on course? But once people are used to something, can new difficulties arise, exactly because so many people are doing it?

How would that apply to a church? For example, a church in a new land or doing things differently? At first, it would be hard to find the right way and people might easily get off the track. As more and more people got used to that way of being church, it would be clearer what to do. But with that would come times when people become bogged down and the once-clear path becomes hard to follow. Something like that happened when Christianity spread to new places, such as Europe from the 3^rd century. At first it was not quite clear how to follow this faith in a new place, but soon patterns developed that made it clear how to live a Christian life in that culture. Over time, the clear path developed aspects that were like a mire and the faith was compromised. Continually as the Church has come into new cultures a new trail had to be blazed.

In our walk with Christ many have trodden this path before. We should be thankful for that. We know better where to go. But at times this well-trodden path also has its dangers that we need to be aware of—otherwise we get stuck in the mud and our walk with Christ is no longer a joyful journey, but a battle through difficult patches.