A Summer's Journey- P1

I'm sitting in my office trying to get back into the swing of church life and work. It's been a long journey this summer. From mid May to early August I logged over 11,000 travel miles. Plus hiking, camping, chasing kids, and many other activities.  It's been full.

I'm going to try to keep up with giving you a little taste of my adventures. If you want to see my travels in picture form check out my Instagram feed (hiker_ed). I'll try to post some on here, but you'll get a better feel for it on there.

Here are a few just to get you started from the Appellation Trail

 

A few stories to come later!

Mt. Whitney Adventure Part 3: The Hike

I always get a little nervous going to meet a new group of people. There is an uneasiness to it all, but there is also an excitement of the unexpected.  The Team 4 crew meet at a local cafe in Lone Pine, CA for breakfast. It's hard to know how much or how little to eat on a morning like this.  You don't want to start the trail hungry, but you don't want to feel stuffed either. Everyone was eating a hearty meal, except the girls who seemed content to eat mostly fruit.  As we finished up it was time for gear check across the street.

Everyone brought their gear and laid it out on a sidewalk for the guides (Forest & Thomas) to go through and see what we really need as opposed to what we thought we needed.  You begin to get a sense of peoples personalities through this process.  I tend to think I need more than I really do, so this was a tough process for me. I began to hand over pieces of equipment and clothes to Jeremy and Matthew to put back in the car.  Knowing we would carry everything we need for the next 4 days should make it easier to let go, but there is always this nagging feeling of "I might need that."

The was a little bit of group gear and food to distribute between all of us and I grabbed a large bag of vegetables and a canister of fuel. Then came the unenviable task of packing it all back up.  One of the guys Chris had a Jeep Unlimited and offered that I could catch a ride with him up to the trail head. I'll always choose the Jeep if given the choice. I threw my pack in and filled up my water bottles.  Then said goodbye to Jeremy & Matthew so they could begin their next phase of their journey (they had to suffer through seeing the great Sequoya trees, Yosemite NP, and Mammoth Lake).

Everyone one loaded up and we took off to the Mt. Whitney Portal.  There was a scale there at the trail head and mine weighed in at only 45lbs. I say only because I have had 55lb packs on previous mountain trips, but we didn't have the weight of tents or stoves, which were already on the mountain.

There is something beautiful about getting on the trail, feeling the burn of the thighs, getting a feel for everyone's hiking speed, and realizing that for the next 3 and a half days this would be the norm.  Team 4 was a great group of people with some real characters among us.  Many were quiet on the trail and I naturally assumed my regular semi-chatty mode, trying to learn a little more about everyone along the way.

That evening we had a great time as the guide made dinner and we all felt a little spoiled. We hung out on the rock overlooking Lower Boy Scout Lake (around 10,300 ft), with Mt. Whitney towering overhead. Everyone turned in early to get some good rest before day 2. Many of us woke before the guides did and I filled my time with a little "quiet time" on a huge rock next to my tent.  We ate breakfast and prepared for our next day of hiking.

Day 2 brought a new set of challenges and excitement. We had to traverse some snow and the trail was obviously becoming more steep. We met up with Team three and they were coming down from high camp. It was fun hearing the adventures and stories of their summit climb, which would be the next day for us.  Jon Dorn (editor of Backpacker magazine) and our third guide (Tristan) joined us at this point as well. We made the hike up to high camp (around 12,200 ft) at reasonable hour and waited for our training and dinner.

The team was coming together.  One of the guys had been struggling these first two days. He was recovering from strep throat the week before, and the determination was made that he would not attempt the summit.  We were down to 9 of us plus Jon and the guides.  We enjoyed the afternoon sun, wondering what was in store for us over the next 24hrs.

Mt. Whitney Adventure Part 1: Fossil Creek

We started our journey to California on Friday at 3 in the afternoon.  One of the advantages of 3 guys
traveling is that we could drive all through the night. OK that could be a disadvantage to some of you, but it is efficient & you don't pay for a hotel that way. So, nineteen hours later we arrived south of Flagstaff Arizona to meet up with one of Matthew's friends and some of her friends to go to a favorite spot for the day.

Apparently Fossil Creek is known only to the locals.  You have to travel about 13 miles down a fairly treacherous gravel road to get there. After struggling to keep up with the local driver on the road and rescuing a young driver who forgot to lock in his hubs for the 4X4 we finally arrived at the "creek."

Now when I say "creek" it reminds me of the little trickle stream behind my house growing up. This was a beautiful emerald green 5 to 10 foot deep creek with rushing water, rock formations, and cliffs from which to jump. And jump we did!

A couple of the guys had kayaks for the white water sections.  They were really exciting to watch and made me wish I had the time to pick up another hobby. We had a great relaxing day at Fossil Creek that was a much needed refreshment.

After a long journey, with many miles behind us, a dark cold night, no shower, no bed, the creek was just what was needed.  Spiritually we often find ourselves in a similar place. The need to slow down, take in the scenery, get some refreshment, and take time away from the regular grind of life is something that we all need.  It's amazing what happens when we get away and into God's creation. He created life and His desire is that we have it to the "full" or "more abundantly." Life in Him is so much more than just going through the motions of everyday life.



If you find yourself tired, cold, lonely, a little smelly; place your life back in His hands.  Redirect your life in line with His.  I won't promise you that it will remove you from your circumstances. But His promise is to bring you peace through His Spirit.

 
John 14:26-27
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

From Sea Level to 14,508 ft: Part 2- Community

I have heard many people tell me that they have started training and after a week or two fail to follow through with their plans. So before I get into the specifics of my training, I'm going to let you in to my secret to training: Community.

You need friends. You can't do it alone.  You'll make it for a time, but without sharing in it with others you will fail most of the time. We need people, we need each other, we need accountability.

Megan (my wife) and I started P90x together last year about this time. Now I can be a bit of a gym rat, but not her.  She hates the gym.  So Megan really needed something at home, and wanted to do it with someone.  We had heard good things about P90x and she seemed excited about it. We found it from someone locally who bought it and said it "looked hard" so he never tried it.  Score- bought it for half price!

When I knew I needed to prepare for the Mt. Whitney trip I started asking my friends who would be willing to drive out there with me.  I had two friends commit to going (community) on the trip.  One is a firefighter and he started Crossfit. The other one has a desk job and knew he had work to do on the fitness level.  He and his wife started coming over to our house Sunday though Thursday nights at 8:30 for P90x.  This allowed Megan and I to put the kids to bed and then get ready to work out.  The bonus was, they knew we were expecting them. Our bonus was, we were expecting them.  So at least 4 nights of the week we were working out together in our living room (community).

Megan started running last year as well, and signed up for a half-marathon back in March.  Again she inspired me to join her in running (even duping me into running a 12 miler with her).  We ran the half-marathon together with a couple of other friends (community).

Are you getting the picture yet?  I would have been in OK shape doing my 3 days a week in the gym by my self.  But by adding P90x with friends, and running with my wife, it took my fitness to a whole new level.

We need people in our lives. We need close community. You can't do it without them. With whom are you sharing your workouts or runs? Do you realized your need for people in your life?  Who are you sharing life with today or this week?

I'm thankful for those who shared the journey with me!