Our Journey, His Work: *Hiking Adventures*

Rance and I both love the outdoors. A LOT. We do NOT take for granted the endless outdoor activities & adventures in Robbinsville & the surrounding areas. I can remember a few years ago how much I disliked cold weather and even though I still do NOT like to be cold - I have learned that if you have the proper gear (socks, shoes, thermals, etc) the cold is not so bad. Plus, Lindy would tell me it's all mental :)

Saturday before last, Rance and I decided to get suited up and head out to hike to the Hangover for the very first time (in Robbinsville). We have both heard about the amazing views and could not wait to get there. We had all intentions of hiking on a certain trail only to find out the road was closed to get there (thanks to all that rain and rock slides). After driving around and finding the other trail that led to the Hangover was closed also - we pulled out the map to see if we had any other options. We found one starting near Joyce Kilmer and decided to try it. Rance had never hiked this specific trail before. Hiking into the unknown? Yep! Up for the adventure? Absolutely!

What a day of growing our marriage! I love that. First of all, I was really sick with a cold so I realize it was NOT the smartest thing to do to hike when I could barely breath, had a fever, was full of snot, and the list goes on. BUT, I wanted to. I will never forget the spiritual applications throughout this hike. As we began to climb - my body broke into a complete sweat (fever broke maybe?) and I thought several times "I must be crazy why am I doing this sick?" Rance was so patient with my endless stops to blow my nose and shed more layers of clothing! We climbed up and up mile after mile both wondering how much further we had to go (or maybe that was just me?). We knew it was going to be about 4-5 miles based on the map. The only thing is - the map did NOT specifically mark the Hangover on it. I was reminded constantly how we WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT. That is what it felt like as we were walking this trail - we are walking by faith knowing that eventually we will reach the end goal but we cannot see it, it seems so far, almost impossible. I thought about Jesus carrying the cross. I thought about the pain He went through but that He did it with JOY in complete submission to His Father. It is amazing the sweet worship I was able to have climbing up that mountain. It was no easy task and no easy trail to hike. I was constantly reminded that HE IS MY STRENGTH. After climbing 5 miles straight up, we reached the top but we still had not reached the Hangover!

Do you want to hear the sad news??? We never made it. Nope. Did.not.make.it. Since we spent most of the morning trying to find a trail to hike - we did not get started until almost NOON. It was 3:30ish when we realized we may not be able to keep going because we had no idea how much further it was going to be. The map was not very clear on the mileage once you reached the top. We knew it was going to be dark by 6 so we decided to turn around. OH IT HURT MY HEART but at the same time, I rejoiced because I would not trade that hike for anything. Rance and I were able to work together as a team and grow together in our marriage and we laughed a lot.