hike report 3/24/08

Hate to put it to you this way but you missed it.

Friend Caleb and I ventured up the Rich Mountain Loop Trail on Friday amidst glorious sunshine and balmy temperatures. There was sufficient exercise going the long way to #6 campsite and plenty of views of both Cades and Tuckaleechy (sp) Coves. We got in early enough to do some reading before dinner. Plenty of firewood and also some good company from Georgia. Some folks on the trail just shy of the campsite said a bobcat had just crossed the trail scowling at them. A pair of does wandered our campsite in the morning looking for salty tidbits. The night sky was gorgeous with a full moon bathing our site. Air was breezy but warm through the night. Sat. was perfection with warm and sunny weather all the way home. Only bummer was that the Lazy Daze Campground ice cream machine is not up and running until Apr. 15.

This trip was about next to perfection as it gets.

Hope to see you next trip.

dogs

“Correct your son, and he will give you rest…(and) delight to your soul.” - Pro. 29:17

I had the pleasure of making two new friends this last weekend. Completely friendly and entertaining, they accompanied me on a camping trip into the heart of the Big South Fork wilderness. As I got to know them, as one naturally soon does with spending a little trail time together, I came to have a deep admiration for the boundless joy that these two showed in embracing the outdoors but also their sense of restraint for the boundaries of others. They didn’t say a lot, but they were well mannered individuals that quickly warmed up to complete strangers. Their names were a bit odd, Sidney and Indy, but they shared the cold, the stream crossings, and the hard ground with not a word of complaint. It was all great fun to them, especially when the scent of a bird crossed their path or when told to fetch a branch or a pug thrown into the woods. They were dogs, after all; Sidney the black lab and Indy, the short-haired pointer.

The two had been carefully chosen as pups by my two separate friends and each reared with careful training for a specific purpose in mind. Sidney was becoming the skilled retriever that a duck hunter depends upon. Indy was being groomed as a bird-hunting dog. Each had been the object of countless hours of careful training by their masters. I was amazed to see them come on command, heel, and lay down at just a single word. Sidney would obediently watch as her pug was thrown into the woods beyond a stream. She waited until the word was given to retrieve. Then she bounded up and brought back her “prey” until told to sit on the other side of the stream. She sat picture-perfect still with the pug in her mouth. On command, she returned the rest of the way and “held” the pug gently in her mouth until given the command to “give.” In camp, each of the dogs would lay obediently on the ground in their assigned positions if they got too carried away by frisky play. At the word “kennel,” they would go back to their respective tents and await further instructions.

I was intrigued by the devotion, obedience, and joy which these man and dog teams exhibited. Questioning revealed the training involved. The effort was considerable. I, being the grandfather, immediately challenged them to exercise similar effort and care in raising their future children. They admitted that it was great preparation. Indeed. There were things to be learned here. They had done many of the right things. Sidney’s owner told of seeking out help from someone who had knowledge and experience in training. Ahh! Lesson number one. When raising sons and daughters, it is wise to not go-it-alone but to seek out the counsel of others who can speak from wisdom and experience. Smart.

What he was told was that there were three things to remember in any training program: care, calm, and consistency. Not bad words to remember in the raising of children, I thought. Care – that tangible and unqualified expression of love and concern for the child that is clearly expressed in countless ways. Calm – that disciplined sense of self-control that communicates order, steadiness, and self-assurance. Consistency – that day after day evenness that produces reliable expectations and uniformity of results.

I also saw these animals imbued with a sense of purpose and given the skills to accomplish these ends. We can’t order up children according to a desired propensity, but we can awake in them a sense of purpose in the grand scheme of the kingdom of God, help them discover their individual giftedness, and equip them for a productive life. The result: great teamwork of parent and child where each becomes a joy to the other and a pleasure to behold. The things you learn on camping trips!

Summer News

"Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, to finish his work." – John 4:34

What drives us? What drives me? It is an uncomfortably introspective question that can reveal much. Nothing can start one thinking about this as quickly as food, or the lack thereof. In training for a hike I just completed this summer, I had a goal to loose 8 pounds. There was no point in drilling holes in the handle of my toothbrush to lighten my load by a quarter ounce when I could cut back on my feed and loose 8 pounds I did not need to drag up and down the mountain. Passing up the seconds on all the good home cooking I regularly see was a challenge. But that, plus regular exercise, put me well within accomplishing that goal by the time I left to go west. It was a matter of being driven by a dream of hiking into thinner air unencumbered by the unnecessary.

Seven days of carrying one’s provisions kept all of us pared back to the essentials. It was interesting to hear grown men talking about the content labels of everything from olive oil to candy bars in determining the nutritive and caloric content. We looked for the biggest bang for the least weight. One of us rejoiced in eating a giant Snickers bar for lunch everyday having found it contained over 500 calories. Food became an obsession for there was seemingly never enough of it, especially for our younger set. Bartering broke out on the fourth day into the hike. Fishing took on special significance. I never felt like I was going hungry but still lost an additional five pounds for the week in spite of some trail ending splurges at a pizza shop.

But there was sufficient time and opportunity to contemplate the truth of “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word the proceeds from the mouth of God.” How many of our waking moments are preoccupied by what we eat or desire to eat? Moses went up into the mountain to obtain the ten commandments and “neither did eat bread nor drink water” for forty days and nights. Elijah was given a couple of meals by an angelic messenger and “went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” These were men on a mission who were sustained by the Lord in miraculous fashion, no doubt. Still, there was probably some discomfort, but they were much more consumed by their heavenly pursuit than by their desire to sit at a sumptuous table and satiate their bodily desires. They were driven by heavenly causes over and above their personal peace and comfort.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Isaiah cried out to those who spend their money for that which is not bread. “Eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Proverbs reminds us that wisdom beckons to the simple. “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live.” Life is not in the bread of this world but in the heavenly bread that comes down from heaven.

I was willing to forsake much fine eating this summer to see the tops of mountains, glory in the alpine meadows of the upper Rockies, catch trout in high lakes, see the wildlife of remote woodlands, and climb heights for panoramic vistas. It was well worth it. May I be so willing to forsake the pleasures of this world, the dainty meats of the evil one, and the ease of the wide and broad path for the sake of gaining the heavenly kingdom and doing the will of my Father in heaven. May we all be so driven to do the will of Him who sent our Savior that we do not even notice those momentary sacrifices that impinge upon our personal peace and affluence. To him who does, “bread shall be given; his waters shall be sure (Isa. 33:16).”

Colorado Adventure

Our team of six returned Thursday evening from a successful adventure into the high Rockies. Bruce, Phil, Evan, Wes, Jim, and I ventured some 35-40 miles over 7 days into the Eagle's Nest Wilderness Area just west of Denver. We encountered wildlife galore this trip as never before with sitings of mountain goat, mountain sheep, moose, mountain lion plus some smaller species including pica, leeches, and an unusually large species of salamander. The weather cooperated famously with light afternoon showers on only 3-4 days. The last night featured a mountain electrical storm in all its glory (ka boom, ka boom) with a real tent-floating downpour. One of our crew chilled to the warning level so we built a fire in spite of the ban because of the cold and wet made it possible, nay, necessary. That was our first campfire at 10,000 feet, and it inspired a precious sharing time together. Fishing closed out the week in famous form as we had a trout feast after the deluge. All who were up to it and wanted to summit had two experiences during the week. We all stayed well and strong, and we marvelled at God's provision both through the bounty of nature and the random acts of strangers who crossed our paths at the most opportune time.

Slickrock Creek Hike Report

Four of us ended up going deep into the Slickrock Creek Wilderness Area Sat - Mon. We hit the Hangover mid-day and had a streak of luck. Few make it up there and are able to get a clear view. Much rain in that area. Vista was unlimited. Camped that night on Stratton Bald. It felt downright illegal to do that but it was fully permissable, even without a permit! There was not a chance of rain all weekend, but it rained hard for 40 minutes that evening after setting up. What a blessing though.
The spring was barely moving so we tanked up using run-off from a hammock tarp. The Father knows more than one way to supply water on a bald.
Next day we took an unknown trail down from Naked Ground (no nudists in
sight) which actually was the beginning of the Slickrock Creek trail. It has a reputation which was well deserved. It has other names going up.
We spent the night at Wildcat Falls and enjoyed the whole camping area
and the falls to ourselves. An afternoon dip was refreshing and
invigorating. We left camp at 9:00 AM and were back home by three even with a detour to A&W.

Eskimo Run #4 report

There was some on-again, off-again hesitation about this weekend for fear of rain. But then there was the chance of snow so off we went. We ended up going to the Big South Fork area starting near Slave Falls and camping out in the vicinity of Jake's Place (actual location held secret). Sat. was gorgeous with everyone shedding clothing. 9 guys ended up making the trip and a good time was had by all. Most of the crew made it all the way up to the twin arches. Rock formations and views along the way were great. Fires were awesome with a well supplied stock of firewood in 20 minutes within 50 ft of fire pit. Evan's vegetable soup was a hit and all 1.5 gal. went to good use. The evening was fairly balmy and overnight temp. was around 30. Near midnight, a slight drizzle started up but then turned to light dusting of snow by morning. Around 9:00 AM, the snow started in again in more earnest with a total buildup in the back of my truck of about 1.5 " by 1:00 PM. Going out was gorgeous, hiking in the snow, seeing the mixture of green, grey, and white throughout the forest. Jim and I returned home by 3:30. The rest stayed on to do some repelling off of the cliffs near Slave Falls. They returned safely at 6:00.
This marks the 4th consecutive Eskimo Run where snow was encountered either on the ground or fresh falling. Not a bad record. Eat your heart out if you missed it. See you next year.