Walking in the Wilderness

Ok. Where to begin? I put off blogging today and I don’t know why. It is now 9:46 PM and I keep thinking about how I’d like to be in bed by 10 PM. That time frame isn’t practical for me. Once I start typing then being done in only 14 minutes seems laughable. Plus, there are some interesting thoughts I want to share with y’all.

I successfully made it to the Crazy Cook monument. Woohoo! Rattlebee and I began our actual hike at 10:12 AM on April 25th. There were 12 folks (ten of them thru-hikers) that left CC that morning. It was funny as we (RB and I) were hanging out in the hotel room the evening before talking about how normal it felt… as if we had already been hiking. It truly doesn’t feel like 2 years has passed since I was on a long distance hike. Rather, it seems like I have picked up where I left off and this is where I am ‘supposed’ to be. I am grateful.

There have been 7 of us consistently camping with each other the past days on trail (and even here in Lordsburg, NM). There is: Smiles, Pounce, Analog, Rattlebee, Banana Pants, Want Some (I gave him his trail name because he was always offering something of his to us and would consistently ask us, “You want some?”), and myself. It is a solid little crew of varied personalities and nationalities. We have been practicing our German. I am HORRIBLE at it. I cannot even properly say the word “uncle” in German, which is simply “onkel”. Nonetheless, we are bouncing jokes off of each other, sharing some meaningful conversation, tearing up some trail, and sharing life together. Again, I am grateful.

The first day on trail toward the end of the day I had a terrible muscular pain in my left glute around to my hip. Resting, massaging it, stretching some, the good ole vitamin I (ibuprofen, 800mg- Thanks, RB!), and not giving up have seemed to help. The tread of the trail- lots of loose sand in places- apparently worked me hard that first day. If I am to be honest, I was rather discouraged and feeling fainthearted at the end of that first day. As I laid down and stared at the vast starry sky I was challenged with submitting my emotions and thoughts to the Lord. He made that incredibly wondrous sky. Earlier in the day, too, I was walking and thinking randomly about birds. The birds chirping from previous mornings caught my attention and had me thinking, “The birds are welcoming the new morning. They are singing praises to God.” And then this area of the country has 300+ species of birds. And my shoes gaiters have parrots on them- so more birds. And this bird’s nest caught me attention while hiking on the first day as it was perched in a cactus plant. Fast forward several hours after the birds nest and my butt cheek was killing me… my mind was wondering in a frustrated circle of, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” directed toward the Lord (again, if I am to be transparent here)…and then the Spirit of God brought to mind this passage of Scripture:

Matthew 10:29-31: 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

And also Matthew 6:25-34: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Okay- so those are a lot of verses. I hope you read them. But as I was walking I was struck with the realization of my relationship with the Lord. He values me; He provides for me; He desires for me to simply do what He created me to do- to worship Him with a pure, honest heart. I cannot earn His favor in order for Him to provide for me. The birds don’t work to impress the Lord so He gives them food. They simply live as they were created, doing what they were created to do! So that bird theme has been resonating with me heavily!

Next thought- I believe every person ought to live 100 miles worth of time hiking in the desert. I especially believe if you are a Christian it is an incredibly valuable experience. I want to continue to process through what I think about all of it, but I remember feeling a mixed bag of emotions concerning the desert on the Pacific Crest Trail. It is coming up again. I am not the biggest fan of the desert. Nope! But I will testify to saying that the greatest lessons and some of the most incredible moments in my relationship with God happened when I was out in the literal desert. It is a rich teaching platform in showing me my humanness and my need for the Lord. He is the Living Water! Again, there are plenty more miles to hike in the desert and lessons to learn. I will likely share more later (especially since this post is lengthy already) on this. 

The night sky just takes my breath away. Cowboy camping has been a treat! Last night I stared at the sky for 30 minutes, at least. I watched for shooting stars. I prayed. I cried. I thought about my Momma. I sure miss that lady. Cannot believe she is dead…still can’t quite grasp it. I am humbled by God’s creation and my opportunity to be totally immersed in it on this wild trek known as the Continental Divide Trail.

Eighty-five miles done! WOOHOO! Lordsburg- my first official trail stop. The EconoLodge here is AWESOME! The owner is new to understanding the trail world and has been so zealous is helping us out. The town itself is very simple. The people have been kind. I will hike out tomorrow morning with Rattlebee- headed to Silver City. The weather has been favorable. Windy and cooler temperatures, but I am thankful considering it would be a lot more difficult to hike through the total exposure in higher temperatures. Water caches have been saving graces. This next stretch is when we will start filtering cow water. Eww.. haha. I hope to post a visual for y’all as soon as I can!

I hope to never stop thanking you all for praying and encouraging me. And I hope you all don’t stop praying and encouraging! And I hope it doesn’t grow old to hear me say “Thanks!”. I mean it with all of my heart! Thank you! 

Still writing out the Philippians 4:8 words each night… and so I will write the one for tonight on here. We’ll see what comes to mind.

True- I am more valuable than the sparrows and so are you!

Honorable- My Gramps asking to talk with RB before I hit the trail. (Thanks, Gramps, for showing me love in that action.)

Just/honest- Conversation I had with Smiles while we walked into the last water cache about our beliefs

Pure- The Lord’s love for me.

Lovely- The night sky with the Big Dipper and Milky Way Galaxy and trillions of shining stars…

Commendable- The trail magic I received from Sleeping Bare and Nugio

Excellent- The last 4 days on trail.

Worthy of Praise- Jesus, now and forevermore!

 

And I wish you well, Amy, as you continue your biking trip to California. Keep it up, girlfriend!! Much love from the CDT to each of you. Thanks for reading!!

Hike Strong and Have Fun.

Taking It All In, Stride

GPS- Gotta Prep/Plan Sooner

The GPS situation almost had me in a tizzy yesterday! That’s then when I said out loud that GPS must stand for ‘Gotta Plan Sooner’! All in all, though, it has been a blessing to see things get done, happen as they have, and in about 16 hours Rattlebee and I will be headed down to Crazy Cook, the southern terminus of the CDT.

My reunion with RB has been great! It’s been enjoyable picking right back up from where we were while on the Pacific Crest Trail two years ago. Regardless of what happens with how long we will hike together, I am thankful we are starting together. Maybe we’ll be out together for a day or for 135 days strung together… I don’t know. All in all I look forward to seeing how The Lord uses it- the time hiking- because real conversation is already happening. It’s good to have a friend out there.

I have attempted to wear brightly colored clothes on this trip. Puts a simple smile on my face. It will be interesting to see how many other women I’ll meet. I don’t imagine there are droves of us but I could be surprised. Meeting new folks and reuniting with oldies, but goodies… That is fun!

With that, though, I am reminded of why I am going out. I am reminded to embrace the eternal perspective all the while living in the present. I am challenged to invest with a purity of heart and a boldness of truth… and a sincerity rooted in the Gospel. Please pray for me in this.

My ride is here in El Paso. Couple more hours in a car over to Lordsburg. Night at the Econo Lodge and an early morning departure. Thanks for remembering me and my fellow hikers in your prayers!

First class classy!

‘I’m so first class classy it is unreal! My carry on is a krogers grocery bag! My attire- shorts and my wind shirt jacket with bright red shoes. Mind you the wind shirt has a hint of the PCT scent to it!!! I cannot believe I am on my way… Bag checked. On train. Just thought you could appreciate the picture painted with words.’

That is a text I wrote earlier. Thought it was worth sharing on here.

This is basically me checking in to say I am leaving Atlanta and headed to Texas. Soon after I will be in New Mexico. Wow . I cannot stop smiling! And my stomach won’t quit turning! It’s really happening! Stay tuned.

Whatever…

‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ Philippians 4:8

I woke up with this on my  mind this  morning. This particular verse has come to mind, or has been mentioned in conversations, or has been in devotionals I have read, or I have heard it in sermons many times in the past two months. I don’t want to ignore that. As I am T-minus 7.5 hours away from having to be all packed up and hit the road for the airport there is the temptation for me to get wrapped up in anxiety and stress. Instead, the Spirit is urging me to think on all of those things. I wrote down in my journal what immediately came to mind when I thought on each of those words.

• True- God’s Word (and in this case I am thinking on Philippians 4:8-9)
• Honorable- adoption
• Just- the Father
• Pure- my identity in Jesus
• Lovely- the birds chirping as the sun rises
• Commendable- the Spirit’s work in me and in the people around me
• Excellent- the sunrise
• Worthy of praise- Jesus

And then I continued to read onto verse 9. It reads, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

This is perfect for me. The God of peace- with  me?! Yes, please! Today His mercies are new. His grace has been lavished on me. I am loved. May my life reflect an honest, pure, true worship of the Triune God- Father, Son, and Spirit. 

I will never have this morning back…the dawn of leaving my home here in the southeast to venture forth on foreign (to me) soil. I desire to live in the present and the Lord is helping me with this. I am grateful. I will choose to fight for this because it is far more valuable than stressing the many little details I could get wrapped up in. It is a lovely day, with a purpose, and I have been given the opportunity to live it. And I pray I live it in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

Now that I have shared- time to get packing! 

Stuck in this seat today!

All day today I have been sending emails, talking on the phone, making lists, reading up on different aspects of the CDT. The nitty gritty of trail planning is happening right now. GO TIME!
I just read up on an A.T. ambassador program sponsored by various outdoor companies. The idea of being a sponsored athlete is appealing. Pursuing something of that nature at an earlier stage in my planning would have been helpful. Hindsight is 20/20!! Regardless of timing, I am going to see what unfolds from here on out though. It has been quite exciting to see what may unfold with Mountain High Outfitters, an outfitter with stores in AL, GA, and TN. The company’s motto is: “Get Out. Get Active. Be Inspired. Live Your Passion.” Yes!!

It was part of my pre-trail planning to get a pedicure. The picture shows the handiwork of Allison and she did a great job. A lovely lady I know treated me to the pampering. THANKS!! I did manage to kick the grocery store cart with my right little toe after the pedicure though. OUCH! It wouldn’t stop bleeding! And I knocked a little flesh chunk out on my right ring finger earlier in the day. Injury prone already?!

Talking with Castle this morning was encouraging. Each of us has our own experience, but it is helpful to talk with folks who have blazed the trail ahead of me. Rattlebee ought to be on his way to the States now. Analog and I chit-chatted yesterday. I should see him in Lordsburg!! PCT 2012 reunion! Hawkeye, whom I hiked with for a week in OR, is already on trail- as are Chili and Pepper!! It’ll be great to reunite with any and/or all of those people while I am out there.

The move out of my house is done! I lived in that quaint, homey place for 4 years. That is in the running for the longest I have ever lived anywhere. It was my first home on my lonesome. The huge magnolia tree in the large yard always put a smile on my face when I looked at it. The smell of the freshly cut grass and the quietness of Healy Fields were my favorite. I’ll certainly miss that home! With that though, I am incredibly excited and anticipatory for what lies ahead. Saying bye to the little town filled with people I love was bittersweet. I hope to return in September for a little visit- in the least. It’s up in the air as far as where I will reside when I return. I basically have 5 months to pray on that one…first things first!!

I can now focus on getting my gear packed up for the CDT. For the rest of the day I will be working on map stuff (addresses and projected stops), GPS stuff, and emergency contact information for folks back home. It is falling into place and I am grateful.

Spending this weekend with the Calverts and other dear friends (the body of believers/Christians) is important to me. Good Friday- ‘a significant day where Christ wasn’t the only one to die on the cross. Sin and death died there too.’ Easter day- ‘Praise be to God I’m set free from both (sin and death) through Christ’s resurrection!’ ‘Praise for the blood that was shed so that only my body shall taste death.’

“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end, all his disciples deserted him. On the cross He was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause He had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is His commission, His work.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hike Strong and Have Fun! Taking It All In, Stride

Unemployed

Yesterday was my last day of work… Well, of official employment, at least, because there is quite a bit of work still left to do. It isn’t the kind I will be paid for… At least not monetarily. The fruit of my labor at this point is making it to Crazy Cook (the southern terminus). Frankly, that will be fantastic!

Even with a load of tasks to do I am headed to Stecoah Gap this afternoon to participate in Hopeful’s birthday hiker feed. It’s awfully exciting to be a part of trail magic for thru hikers. I’m grateful the A.T. is so close to me- literally and figuratively.

Just touching base. Mail drops will be posted sometime this week. Um… I am going to be taking it all in this next week and a half before I dip out of the South for 5 months. Lots of people to hug and drink decaf coffee with!!

Less than 3 weeks…

I am in my kitchen right now thinking about all of the things I need to get done. And I’m overwhelmed with the idea that in less than three weeks I fly out of Atlanta to El Paso.

There’s this house to pack up. Gear to figure out. A speaking engagement (Girls Night) at Mountain High Outfitters in Atlanta to be a part of this week. There’s a half week of work left. Organizing maps and loading GPS waypoints. Saying goodbye to people I love. Talking with the church. Fundraising. The yard sale- oh the yard sale where I am selling my late Momma’s belongings. Just living life.

This last week of work was a doozy of sorts and I am grateful to have lived it. The Lord is teaching me how to extend out grace, love, and mercy. I am also becoming quite aware of my tendency to guard my sensitive heart with defense mechanisms. And frankly, it is the season of life for me to fight to rest in the Lord, share my heart, and trust.

Today is a ‘pack it all up’ day… Off to pack up whatever I can while I am home. ‘Home’…. Hmmmm. I am going to miss this house for many reasons. Out for now.