The Boys in the Boat quickly became one of my all time favorite books and is a top recommendation for me. This is the story of the 1936 USA Olympic rowing team and their journey to Berlin. I will admit that the book starts out pretty slow, and there are a lot of names and stories introduced that can be hard to track with. So don’t be discouraged if you open the book and feel less than drawn in for the first few chapters.
Once the story picks up and you know more about the main characters, the story gets fascinating. Not only are you following along with the boys, but there is a ton of history about Berlin and the Nazi’s that is introduced throughout. The way this book is written keeps you present with the present world scene, and at the same time, so so so nervous for the boys in the boat.
I will keep this recommendation short because the book is worth the read, from beginning to end, and I don’t want to spoil it. I know this is a historical book so you could just as easily find a short blog about this incredible team, but it will not invite you into the boat in the same way this book does.
And please read the book before seeing the movie. The movie is good but there is a TON of backstory, history, and detail left out of the movie. I enjoyed the movie but I would rather read the book again.
In one word, this story is INSPIRING. It inspires the reader to live with the boys in the ups and downs of each season. The ways the boys had to work together and not give up will inspire you to also work with those on your “team” and to never give up… even when the odds are stacked against you.
The fourth year of summer backpacking trips, and this was maybe the best one yet! The Cirque of the Towers is a 23 mile loop in Wyoming, with two passes and endless lakes. This trail was a really beautiful place to spend a few days out of the heat and poor air quality that Colorado was experiencing this summer. It was definitely a trek to get there, but well worth it!
Packs on! Ready to rock and roll!
We drove to the trailhead on a Wednesday morning starting around 6am and made it to the trailhead before noon. We made sure to stop at the last gas station to get snacks and gas before we would be out of service for several days. (And we were glad we stopped for gas because we likely wouldn’t have made it back if we didn’t go with a full tank of gas.)
The first day was a fairly chill day of hiking, though it was a long day with a 6 hour drive. Once we made it to the trailhead, we hiked for about 7.5 miles. It was an elevation gain of 1,200 feet but it felt mostly gradual and flat. This took us about 4 hours to complete and then we went to work setting up tents, unpacking food, and making dinner for the night. The first night is always the hardest because you have to fit the most food back into your bear can and you are just not into the rhythm of setting up camp yet. So the set up of our tents and getting settled took a little longer than normal, but it was nice to be back on the trail and at a beautiful lake!
Campsite at Marm’s Lake the first night.
BUT THE STARS that first night were incredible! We have been lucky to have some really awesome sky views on several of our backpacking trips, and this was another great night! I highly recommend bringing a friend who has to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom so that they will wake you up and tell you to come look at the stars. It will be 1000% worth it. Promise. The pictures below are good but still don’t capture the magnificence of the stars in the middle of nowhere!
The second day was our easy day with a short 4 mile hike and a 500 foot elevation gain. So we took an easy and slow morning, and then spent the day chilling by our new home near Shadow Lake. We absolutely loved this lake! It was so peaceful! Plus, there weren’t a ton of people camping around that area, so we had plenty of space. We enjoyed the afternoon and evening, as we prepared for our big day next.
Day 3 was our hard day – 2 passes, 7 miles, and over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. …except that it ended up being closer to 9.5 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain. You see, the day started out well. We got all packed up and ready fairly quickly (for a crew of 7) and headed to the passes. We knew we needed to pack enough water to get over both passes because the water at the lake in the middle of the passes (Lonesome Lake) was not drinkable even with a filter. We also knew that we were likely going to have all sun and no clouds again, so we wanted to get up and over those passes sooner rather than later.
We made it to the base of the first pass at a decent time, but took a short break where we learned that there was a missing mom and 2 daughters somewhere. We thought we saw them with our binoculars but it turned out to not be them. (Long story short… it all turned out ok and everyone was found and reunited, but it did take some of our precious cool-air morning time. But we are so glad they are okay!) The first pass, Texas Pass, was definitely the hardest one. We spent a lot of time getting up and over this pass. There was a little bit of a snow field still left on the other side that we had to cross but it wasn’t terrible.
We made it to the bottom of Texas Pass and to the lake we couldn’t drink from. We decided it was time for lunch. We found a few shady trees and took a little bit of a break. It was getting really hot at this point so we really enjoyed the shade. Most of us put on more sunscreen and long sleeves after lunch so that we wouldn’t get too burned.
The second pass, Jackass Pass, was not as hard to get over though it was hot. Once we got over this pass, we headed down to Arrowhead Lake… and this is where things got tricky. There were two directions we could have taken: (1) up, around, and over the lake or (2) in the shade through the boulder field. We obviously chose the boulder field because we were so done with the sun at this point in the day. It didn’t look too terrible, but once we got into it, we realized there was not a way over the boulders with our packs on. This was devastating. We had spent so much time already over on this side of the lake and now we needed to filter more water and go the long way, adding another 2.5 miles to our journey. We were not excited.
At the top of Jackass Pass.
Once we regrouped and decided to go around, the only thing we could do is to just keep going. There was not another option and we needed to make it past this lake and the next lake before arriving at our destination for the night. It was long, and hot, and honestly really not enjoyable at all. But we made it… eventually. The only bummer was that by the time we made it to Big Sandy Lake, it was about 7pm and all the good camping spots were taken. So it took us a while to find a spot where we could all fit and ended up hiking to the far side of the lake.
Overall, day 3 was beautiful but also really long and tiring. I don’t know how we could have split it up any more than we did, but I am glad we made it. We were all so glad to finally be at the campsite. Plus it was finally a warm night (maybe even too warm). It was nice not to have to shiver all night in the cold though!
Our final day was a quick 5.5 mile hike out and all downhill. It was a very easy hike out which was nice. And then we headed straight to Big Sandy Lodge to get burgers! We loved that they had a lodge right by the trailhead because the next place for food would be several hours away. They were so kind and it was some really great food!
As a whole, I would recommend the Cirque of the Towers and I would do it again some day too! Some people do this trip in less time than we did, but I enjoyed getting time at each lake and time to slow down a little. Backpacking trips always make me so thankful to God, who created all of these beautiful places for us to explore!
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. — Psalms 19:1-2 (CSB)
People often talk about the “mountain top experience” as the epitome of life. Its the best experience you could have! I think everyone will have a handful of these types of experiences where something incredible happens and completely changes your life.
But the reality is that most of our lives are actually spent in the valleys, in the mundane, in the everyday Tuesdays. And I think there is just as much beauty in the valley as there is on the mountain. Sure, the mountain gives you a new perspective, but you have to go through the valley in order to get to the mountain.
This summer, we backpacked in some of the most beautiful places in Colorado. As we hiked and hiked …and hiked… I contemplated this concept of mountains and valleys. Each time we got to a peak, I looked out and saw the valley we had trudged through. We had sometimes spent hours walking through these valleys that seemed to never end. Valleys that were often filled with a chilly wind that was relentless, or bugs that stuck to our faces and necks and arms without letting go, or rocks and uneven ground that was tedious, treacherous, and tough. But from up here, on the top of the world, on the mountain peak… the valley looked beautiful. It was wonderful and magnificent and perfect. We could see the green trees, lakes, and rivers and that was simply stunning! Sitting up here on the mountain, it seemed easy to forget the effort and endlessness of the valley which we had just traversed for a good portion of the day. We had made it to the summit!
And as we sat on the summit peak, I realized that sometimes you need to climb up the mountain just to see the beauty of where you were and how hard you worked. The view of the valley from the mountain top is what makes the mountain top experience so great. It’s understanding what it took to get out of the valley and up the mountain. That’s where the real beauty is.
The summit is never really the goal. (And I love myself a good summit!!) But the summit isn’t the end, in fact, the summit is typically only the halfway point. And each summit I reach there is a valley below that calls out and says, “Look how hard you worked to get here and look where you are now.”
The mountain top experience is about the person you are becoming as you climb. And for me, this is becoming a person who doesn’t give up, a person who knows that it will be hard and yet it will be worth it, a person who wants to learn how to be present even in the hardship and pain, a person who continues to lean on and trust the Lord even in the hardships of the valleys of life.
Last year held some difficult things for me, and in the moment they didn’t look beautiful. In the moment they seemed hard, and ugly, and painful. But as I catch my breath, as I continue to work at mental health, as I climb out of anxiety and depression… I can begin to see the beauty of the valley. And I can see where I was and the long hard road it took to get to where I am now. And I can see how God never left me alone in the valley, but rather continued to give me grace and rest each step of the way.
The Bible talks about the Christian life as being transformed one degree at a time. One degree is not a lot, but once you start to add these degrees up, it is much easier to see where you were! One step at a time. One degree at a time. That is the type of healing and the type of life that God has for us. Yes, he works in the big moments as well, but more often, he is simply with us in the everyday, long, and hard valleys of life.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
There is beauty in growth. There is beauty in hardship. There is beauty in seemingly endless seasons of anxiety. But sometimes, you have to keep taking one step at a time to get to a place where you are awarded with some perspective. Others might not see how hard you have worked or the valleys you have trudged through, but you have made it, dear friend. And the journey is not over at the summit. In fact, it is just getting started!
Hope. We all hope for things in life. Some hopes come true while others do not. Often, when we use the word “hope” we mean the feeling of an expectation in life or the desire for a specific thing to happen. We use the word “hope” more like wishful thinking… hoping, wanting, desiring, wishing for all our dreams to come true. But the thing about hope on earth is that it’s never promised and never certain. Hope that is not fulfilled leaves you hurting, hopeless, and heartbroken.
Recently I experienced the loss of hope. Specifically, I had hope for a relationship to flourish. Instead, it felt like it was ripped from my hands out of no where. I was left confused, sad, and broken. Hope that is not fulfilled is one of the worst feelings in this life, and in its wake are broken hearts, sloppy tears, and sleepless nights.
And yet, as I sat and contemplated this loss of hope, I was reminded of a hope that is certain, unfailing, and sure. In this life, we have one hope that will never leave us unfulfilled, hurt, or abandoned. This is the hope of Christ’s return!
“Our hope isn’t that nothing bad will ever happen to us. Or that everything that does happen to us is ‘the will of God.’ Our hope is that no matter what happens to us, Jesus is back from the dead, and anything is possible.”
John Mark Comer
The hope of Jesus coming back is something that is certain. It is sure. It will happen. It’s a hope that we can go to the bank on. We can bet all the chips. We can go all in. And this hope is good.
We can be certain of this hope because of the person this hope is based on. This is a hope that is based on the one and only creator God. He is a promise-keeping God. His character proves that He will keep his word. He has never once left us unfulfilled or abandoned. He has never failed us and he never will. And because of who He is, we can trust that His promises are steady, certain, sure, and true.
“To the Scripture writers, hope is the absolute expectation of coming good based on the character of God.”
John Mark Comer
And in this hope, we rejoice! We rejoice because in this world we will experience pain, loss, suffering, tears, and hurt. We will break promises and promises given to us will be broken. We will experience hope unfulfilled. We will be left wondering if God truly has our best interests in mind or if He even cares.
And friend, I can tell you… He does. He is good. In fact, all he can be is good. It doesn’t always feel like he is, but history and his word tell us what is true. Our God keeps his promises to the very end. And we demonstrate our trust in the promises of God when we put all our faith in this good God. He is faithful to the very end, and our faith is what holds this hope secure.
So go all in on him. He is for you. And in him, your hope is secure.
Don’t lose hope because someday HE IS COMING! Our King is on the move.
“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
“Now may the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
“Rejoice in HOPE; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”
We headed out for our next adventure early on a Wednesday morning, after staying up way too late the night before trying to fit everything into our bear canister. (If I’m honest, one of the hardest parts of this whole trip was figuring out the logistics of passes and transportation. We had to get our bus pass early in the year, but we still had to figure out parking and transportation to the actual bus location at Maroon Bells. It felt like a lot for such a popular hike.)
Anyways, we made it to the Maroon Bells bus location with extra time to sit and rest before our 4-day, 3-night adventure truly took off. The bus ride itself felt like Disney World as the overhead speakers gave us background information on the mountains, animals, waterfalls, and rocks in the area. When we stepped off the bus our jaws dropped. We hadn’t even started our trek into the mountains and we were already stunned by the majesty of the mountains.
THE Maroon Bells! Simply Stunning.
The first day was full of a lot of stops as we took pictures about every ten steps. We just didn’t want to miss anything and it was all so insanely beautiful! We hiked from the trailhead to Crater Lake and began our clockwise (CW) adventure around the famous Four Pass Loop.
(A note on direction: Everyone says that their direction — clockwise or counter– is the best…but our CW direction was definitely the best! We still aren’t sure how people did it the other way without dying, but again, I bet the CCW folks say the same about us. I still think we are right.) … 🙂
Our goal on the first day was to get as close to the first pass as possible without crossing. We knew the next day had 2 passes, so we wanted to get up a little bit into the elevation and a little further in the miles before setting up camp.
Once we hit the right miles and elevation, we started looking for a campsite and the one we found was actually perfect!! It was one of the best campsites I think we have ever stayed at. The views were unreal in every direction and we didn’t have other hikers near us at all. (Though we did have 1 or 2 deer friends who got insanely close every time we stopped watching them.)
The view from our first campsite. UNREAL.
Day one was complete, so we repacked our bear canister (seriously so hard to do on the first night…plus Parker and Hannah had a pickle situation that was kinda a nightmare…but also hilarious!!) and headed to bed. At about 1am we woke up and got to look at the stars. The moon was pretty small that night and the sky was completely clear. We could see the Milky Way cross the sky along with hundreds of thousands of stars. It was absolutely beautiful.
No iPhone can truly capture it, but here’s an attempt!
The next morning we woke up, ate some breakfast, packed up the tent and gear, and headed out for our 2-pass-and-lots-of-miles day. We made it to the top of the first pass in under an hour!
The hike up West Maroon PassTop of West Maroon Pass – Day 2View from the top of West Maroon Pass
Then we began the descent through the valley and up the next pass. This was an incredible section that a lot of people do in a day. There is a trail that goes from Crested Butte to Aspen that is about 11 miles and you go over West Maroon Pass along the way. We met a lot of people doing that 11-mile trek and could follow most of the trail as it headed down the valley and into Crested Butte. But our trail eventually turned right and we headed up Frigid Air Pass, making it to the top in great time!
Top of Frigid Air Pass – Day 2
We headed down the pass shortly after and knew we had a lot more miles to go before we could set up camp. Our goal was to descend and get as close to the next pass as we could. The trek down was beautiful. We went through insane fields of wildflowers that absolutely blew our minds. Who knew so many different kinds and colors of wildflowers could grow in one field?! We stopped a dozen or more times to take pictures of the flowers, and this was definitely the highlight of the day. We also passed an incredible waterfall that was so tall and so loud!
We found our campsite towards the base of the next pass, right before the incline started. This site had its pros and cons for sure. One of the biggest cons was the mosquitoes and flies. They were everywhere, but they died down once the sun went down and didn’t return in the morning. The best part about the site though was the moose! There was a female (or maybe a young male) moose that hung out in the marsh right by our site that night and the next morning. It was so fun to watch it from a distance and continue to look for it in the trees and shrubs. We also had a great water-filling river on this night, including a spot to wash some of our clothes. We took full advantage of being near a river and enjoyed some good downtime after our long day.
The next day, we headed up the third pass, Trail Rider. We heard that this one was not going to be super fun, but we also knew that we were the freshest in the morning and it was the coolest time of day. We were eager to get to the top and get over the pass so we could spend time at the famous Snowmass Lake. We made it to the top of the pass in good time, though this pass was probably the hardest one for everyone in our group. Once at the top of the pass, you get an incredible view of Snowmass… and the view continues to get better as you get closer!
Top of Trail Rider Pass – Day 3
When we got to the lake, the clouds and light rain seemed to follow us. For a moment, it looked like we would be hiking in the rain the rest of the day. We packed up our stuff and started to leave, but then it cleared up! So we headed back to the lake with hopes of enjoying an hour or more at the lake. Thankfully, we had some good weather come in and we were able to sit and relax at Snowmass for a little while before packing up and heading closer to the base of the final pass.
Snowmass Lake view during the decent Snowmass Lake
Our final campsite was our least favorite, but we still found some great spots to hang out once we were set up. Plus we had an incredible meadow right by our site that was so peaceful and beautiful. We did have a little bit of an issue getting water at this site since it was really muddy, but eventually, we made it work! This was our final night on the trail and we only had one pass to go!
We called this “Parker’s Meadow” because it was his favorite part of the trip!
We got up early the next day so we could get over the pass in plenty of time. We had heard that this last pass, Buckskin Pass, was the hardest of them all and we had a time limit to get to the bus. So we headed out, fully ready to accept whatever challenges came our way.
And then… it was super easy. Like we made it to the top of the pass in record time and it wasn’t hard or technical at all. So maybe the backside going down was going to be harder? …but it wasn’t. There were a few spots of rocks, but it was nothing compared to some of our other hikes and even compared to some of the other spots on this trail. We still aren’t sure why everyone says this pass is so hard…
Top of Buckskin Pass – Day 4
The rest of the way was pretty easy as it was all downhill. We made it back to the bus in plenty of time and even got to stop for lunch on the way home. Overall, Four Pass Loop is a 10 out of 10 recommend for anyone who enjoys backpacking. It is not an easy trail and you should definitely have some experience before you go, but it’s also not insanely difficult or demanding. I’m so glad we got to do this bucket-list trip and explore the beauty of the Maroon Bells!
There are a lot of great resources and books out there on Evangelism. But recently, I was incredibly encouraged reading the book Tactics by Greg Koukl. This is a resource every Christian should read, and I pray they are encouraged by the simplicity of sharing the gospel with others.
What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the way Koukl talked about sharing the gospel. Very quickly, he removed the pressure of sharing the gospel yet made a compelling argument to simply “put a rock in someone’s shoe.” The premise of his tactic in sharing the gospel is simply to ask good questions and get people thinking more deeply about spiritual things than they have previously.
“When I talk with people about spiritual matters, I’m not looking to close the deal with them. I’m just looking to do a little gardening in their lives. That’s all. I want to get them thinking. If I can do that, then I’m satisfied, since I know they are ultimately in God’s hands.”
Koukl, Loc 211
It can be easy to quickly get overwhelmed with the idea of sharing the gospel, especially if you have never done this before. Maybe you have been following Jesus for a while and yet you have not shared the gospel before. Maybe there is some fear you are holding on to that is preventing you from sharing with your family or co-workers or friends. That is normal but it is also a scheme of the enemy. What I love about this book is the encouragement that Koukl gives to believers to simply have a conversation. He reminds Christians that “if anyone in the discussion gets mad, you lose” (Loc 461). His goal is never to “win someone to Christ” but rather to engage in conversation.
Koukl also gives a few really simple and basic questions for Christians to ask when they are talking to others about the claims of Christ or the beliefs of Christians. Questions are a really valuable tool to use because they provide extra time and clarity in your conversation. One great question to ask is, “What do you mean by that?” This allows the other person to provide clarity in their argument and helps you understand where they are coming from. The second is, “How did you come to that conclusion?” This will help you understand why they believe what they believe and allows them to evaluate this as well.
It is clear that Koukl has a lot of wisdom and knowledge in how to have helpful discussions with non-believers and he offers a myriad of questions and tactics to practice as you share the gospel. I have tried to highlight a few of my key takeaways from this book here, but again, I highly recommend this book to all believers. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of his tactics, the ease of sharing, and the overall tone of his book. And I pray that this book encourages you to step out and share the gospel, not from a place of shame or disappointment for not doing this in the past, but rather from a heart of excitement and eagerness for others to truly hear about the grace and love of Jesus! “At the end of the day, a person’s deep-seated rebellion against God is a problem only a supernatural solution can fix” (Loc 3114).
I am now 29 years old and have been working with middle and high school students in a discipleship environment since I was a teenager. I remember being one of the few high school students in our small youth group growing up, which meant I was also a leader for our middle school groups. I remember having bible studies with neighbors and leading our middle school group when I was just a junior in high school, never imaging that God would allow me to be paid to disciple students, teach the Bible, and walk with parents through these crazy teenage years.
Over these years, I have met with dozens of girls for discipleship and I have seen them all come from a variety of places in life. I have also had the privilege of getting to know them and their families so well that I call them my little sisters. These girls are an inspiration to me because of the faith they have in Christ and the desires they have to live out the gospel in this crazy world.
This new series is written for all the “little sisters” out there who need some encouragement and guidance in this world. I may not know you personally, but if you are a follower of Jesus and desire to seek him with all your heart, then this series is for you.
My hope is that this series will talk about things that are relevant to the teenager of today, begin conversations at home and with friends, and encourage the sisters we have in the next generation to live counter-cultural. This world is really hard, and life can throw a lot of things at you. But lil sis, I believe in you. And I believe that you can stand up for God in a world that seems to hate him and ignore him. I believe that you are part of the generation that will have an incredible impact on history. And I believe that God made you for a purpose to represent and reflect him in all you do.
Prayer: God, you are good, wise, and loving. You know the state of this world. You know what the next generation of leaders needs. You know how difficult it is to follow you in this world. I pray that you would send your Spirit to guide, teach, and encourage all of the young girls out there who need to hear a bit of truth in a world of lies. Go before them, and make them a generation of courage! We love you and trust you! Amen.
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
July 8, 2022: A day I will likely never forget. We started the day at about 5am as we headed to the trailhead for my 18th fourteener. My group included all friends, some of whom have hiked fourteeners with me before, and a few newbies. Overall, we were both excited and nervous about the adventure! I had read that this particular mountain was a class 2, meaning it was on the easier side, but I always remind myself and others that no fourteener is easy. This one had a lot of rocks, more so than a lot of others, so we were prepared to be in the scramble for a while.
We drove up and up. It was a little scary at times as our car felt like it was on the edge of a mountain (because it was), and very quickly the tops of the trees became eye-level. We passed a few cars that were parked on the side but decided to continue up, plus our map told us to keep going. So we did.
And then things went from okay to bad to worse within a matter of minutes.
We reached the end of the map (mind you: this included a lot of really difficult driving up some incredibly large rocks and divets but Lindsay was a champ…and she’s the MVP of this story as you will soon see). The end of the map was the actual trailhead. This is not where we needed to park though. And now we were on the side of a mountain… with a cliff on one edge… with nowhere to turn around. I remember looking over to one of my friends in the back seat and whispering, “This is the worst-case scenario.”
And it was. We were in big trouble.
We looked ahead and saw that the road got about 6 inches wider ahead so we drove there. We had to turn the car around. There was no other option. (I mean there was but that option included leaving a car on the mountain and a lot of money…) What happened next is truly a miracle. We spent the next 1.5 hours turning the car around on a mountain cliff, one inch at a time. The tires got stuck on the dry gravel multiple times, and we pulled the car up to the edge of the cliff too many times to count and enough times to cause us all to grow with anxiety and fear (and maybe a little sick to the stomach feeling mixed in there too).
There was a point where we legit didn’t think this car was coming off the mountain. No one actually said it out loud but we were all thinking it. This was one of those situations where you didn’t have time to truly think about what could happen next. You just had to figure out the best move you had at the moment and put all your chips in on that. At different points I think all six of us prayed out loud, asking God to save us and to save this car.
And then, it worked. We got the car out of the divet and out of the gravel. And it was facing exactly 180 degrees opposite of where it had been 90 minutes prior. It was a miracle. And we still don’t understand how it worked. (Again, Lindsay is the MVP here for her incredible driving skills and the Lord is the big hero for rescuing us and the car!)
The thing is, this was not the end of the journey. We still had to drive the car back down the large divets that we had gone up. At one point we had to all get to one side of the car in order for it to not flip. It was actually terrifying.
Now, you would think that this would be enough adventure for us in one day. But you would be wrong.
We got back down to the cars that were parked where we should have parked 1.5 hours ago (which we also thought previously were insane for parking that far down the mountain… we repented and gave them kudos for being smarter than us). We got out of the car, strapped on our packs, and headed back up the road we had just driven down…now on foot. Walking felt like a relief to us after this whole car endeavor.
Thankfully, we had checked the weather and we had a great weather window for the day, so we decided we could still complete the hike, even with an extra late start. The trail itself was not super fun. It was a ton of rocks and a lot of scrambling basically the whole way. I wouldn’t say it was hard but more tedious than anything. It seemed like the rocks just never ended.
We reached the summit, obviously a lot later than we had planned, but we were all alive and we had a lot to be thankful for.
We headed down the mountain, back to the car (which again, took forever because of the incredible amount of rocks), knowing that we still had a journey ahead of us. We had parked at a good location, but the rest of the road was still not awesome. And now, it was even harder. There were people coming up the road to camp for the night. (Again, this is a single-lane road made of dirt with a mountain on one side and a cliff on the other.)
Lindsay, once again, pulled through for us as she navigated and negotiated with the other cars coming up. We had a few tricky and tight passes, but honestly, after everything we had been through that day, this seemed like not a huge deal.
All that to say, we made it back safely with our lives, the car, and our bank accounts still intact. The car did have some damage, but it was honestly so minimal for what we had put it through, that it was a miracle in my eyes!
So today, as I sit and write this account, drinking coffee and remembering back to this insane adventure, I am thankful that God was with us and helped us turn the car around. I am thankful that I was with friends who did not freak out in a situation that could have been very easy to freak out in. I am thankful for Lindsay, who drove the car and turned it around on the side of a mountain cliff. I am thankful to have not been through this alone. I am thankful to be alive and without any injuries. And I am thankful that today, I am not on top of a mountain.
But don’t worry mountains. I will be back for you soon! Just next time, I think we will all triple-check the map and park in the right location. I prefer to have my adventures on foot.
Morgan Marshall 