Its 7:00 on a Thursday morning and we are sitting around the ranch dining room table, watching the sunrise, and eating breakfast burritos. I guzzle coffee.
We finish last minute packing, stuff the backpacks into the chariot, doodle diddle around and do all the last minute things and then finally at 8:00 the chariot is full of 2 mentors, 5 ranchers, and myself. We head down the lane.
‘’Did you get your pills this morning?’’
‘’No…’’
Ok. We do a u-turn and back up the hill we drive.
Once on the road, its an hour drive to Devil’s Den State Park. The girls are quietly reading. Us authorities are quietly thinking.
We arrive. Ms tiff and I head into the office to get a permit and such while Ms Sam takes the girls to the washroom. Ms tiff and I had a few chuckles with the people behind the desk, due to the former hike we had taken here back in February.
Then we find our correct parking spot.
Unload backpacks.
Strap them on.
Lock the chariot.
And off we trek, to find our trail, marked by blue blazes.
Our girl, who is soon to graduate, had the honors of leading the single file train. So it was her, then me, then two ranchers, then Ms Tiff, then two ranchers, then Ms Sam.
She did an amazing job at leading. before the trip, she was encouraged to lead, not control. She checked in with the group, asking each person individually how they were doing, and what pace was good. She held thorn bushes back as the group passed by them. She kicked sticks and stones out of the way so her followers would not trip. She read her map she had be given. Over all, she did a stellar job!
First day we hike close to six miles.
We pass a rattlesnake curled up right beside the trail. The people right behind us told us they had just seen it. Thank goodness none of us had spotted it for that would have caused a lil hullabaloo.
At one point we come to a confusing part and us authorities had gotten befuddled at this point last time we hiked this trail so we told the girls we were gonna let them figure it out this time and we authorities were not gonna step in and tell them what to do. This is a prime opportunity for team work. They put their heads together, and after some dialogue, they come up with a conclusion. It's correct.
The whole entire trip, we are greeted with the cheery sight of dogwoods throughout the woods.
A black snake slithers across the trail which gives me the absolute willies.
We arrive at our campsite, grateful to shed the 30 lb. pack. We set up camp. Filter water. Gather wood. Devour mac n cheese, with bacon bits.
We sing around the campfire and then go around and share the good and bad parts of the day. I shed some tears, which is hard for me to do in front of these girls but I know I need to be honest about my grief with them. This trip is such a deep reminder of eddie and as the day progresses so does the sadness.
Then we have prayer while sitting on the ground around the fire with arms around each other. I walk up the hill to cell service. Us authorities stand around the fire for a bit and chat after the girls have gone to their tents.
The night is below freezing. It is not all that pleasant.
The morning arrives, and with that comes sun and warmth. My neck is sunburnt from the previous day so I wrap a wild rag around my neck and keep it their all day. We have oatmeal for breakfast. And coffee:) oh coffee around a campfire has got to be one of the best things in life.
Take a leisurely pace getting camp packed up but finally we are all ready. Hit the trail. We hike 5 miles, with a few breaks. The below pic, is our backpacks deserted while our feet get cooled off by the river and we snack from our snack bags.
The heat gets to be a lil overwhelming for some as the packs seem like a real burden and the miles seem long.
Arrive to camp mid afternoon. The girls ask to wade in the chilly creek for awhile so we all do for awhile. Then we set up our tents. We have a bit of quiet time.
For supper we devour a sausage and rice meal. and coffee:) not even sure what happened this eve, I know we sang a bit and we got into the giggles and one girl had tears on her cheek from laughing so hard. We huddle around the campfire, arms around each other, and have prayer.
Us authorities hang around the fire for awhile after the girls have gone to bed. Then I go down to the creek and wash my absolutely filthy feet.
This night is a lot more doable for the temp is not as low.
Around the fire, in the morning, we munch on oatmeal again. And of course drink coffee.
We have a moment where the first aid kit gets brought out, and a sliver is removed and blisters are covered with moleskin. One girl had every toe on both feet bandaged. There was also a burn or two that begged for aloe vera gel.
After camp is packed up, we stand around for prayer.
Then, we hoist our packs on the aching shoulders and bruised hip bones.
And we head out on on our last leg of the journey.
Today, we have 6 miles to go.
We come to a waterfall we are to hike up. With encouragement and slow steps, we escalate the rocks.
We stop by some rocks for a lengthy break of snacking from our snack bags.
At one point, there is a charming look out and we stop. As we are going over personal and group goals again, one girl mentions seeing God in the hills so the song ''the hill are the arms of God lifting me to Him, and my every need is given by His hand...''' breaks out spontaneously. We stand there, singing in the woods. A real vibe.
The last mile or two, the anticipation of seeing the chariot is clearly being displayed, but the mentors suggest we stop by a river and dunk our toes in the cool water and just chill for a bit, soak up the last moments in the woods. This was not welcomed by all ranchers, for they just wanted to be done and out of these woods. The cool water soothed the ache of the blisters.
Then we heave our packs one one last time.
and finish our last mile.
Middle of afternoon, we walk into the parking lot. We sit on the grass, air out our weary feet, and guzzle water. Ms Sam and Ms Tiff do cartwheels and teach another rancher how. Then we load up in the chariot. Drop by the office one last time to talk to our now-office-friends and give them our permit back. Had a jolly lil time. And we head back to the ranch, stink and all.
Upon arrival at the ranch, things were unpacked and showers were taken. We were all bone tired. Mr doug and Ms sharon had a delicious home cooked meal whipped up for us to devour at supper time. It was divine.
so final thoughts.
.this whole backpacking business, I could get into. I really enjoy the woods.
.it honestly is a miracle that trip got pulled off the ground. I was in charge of spear heading but I felt like I had a spear in my head. All through planning, I could not focus properly and I was overwhelmed by everything. But the mentors stepped in and helped so much and by prayer and patience, that backpacking trip was a success.
.every break we had, we went over goals, personal and group. we also had a group verse we recited often.
.we just ate lunch from our snack bags, so we could keep hiking throughout the day.
.the campfires were such a highlight. Nothing beats gathered around the fire, as dusk settles, and just chilling.
.I love the group of humans i got to experience this all with. Coming out of the woods, i think we all were closer than we were going onto the woods. We made some good memories ♥️🥾
group verse.
''the Lord will fight for you, you need only be still.'' exodus 14:14
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