Chris and I joined my dad and a friend of his for a 2-week adventure in Wyoming. The goal was to summit Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming - a goal we did not quite reach. This was due to the area having a 300% snow year (this means 3x more snow than usual) and some delays due to traveling with 2 60-year-olds. (Don't ever ever ever tell them I said that.) But I will say that Chris and I learned a lot of things throughout this trip - lessons about life, relationships, loving others and backpacking in general. I have included a few (very few) pictures and a few little lessons from our trip. There is so much more to tell, but I don't have the time/patience to put it all in a blog. :)
Note: All total, we hiked for 7 days, 50 miles, with 65-70 pound backpacks. We climbed, we traversed, we slid, we snowshoed, we fell, we crossed, and we plowed. Good times were had by all. :)
1. Nothing but freeze-dried meals and protein bars for lunch really messes up your system. :( There is such a thing as too much protein.
2. When you are planning on walking across 10+ feet of snow and the temperature is supposed to reach 80, you should probably get an early start. Sinking into the snow up to your thigh with a 65-pound pack is incredibly frustrating and drains you like no other.
3. When you are climbing over 4,000 feet in elevation, you need to drink lots of water. If you do not, you will get sick.
4. It is extremely important that you trust God to take care of you. For one, you are days of hiking away from civilization/other people/cell service. Also, when the rapid snow melt makes rivers 5x bigger than normal, but you have to cross them anyway with the aforementioned 65-pound pack, it's great to know that He's on your side.
5. Hiking poles are absolutely essential. I probably would have died without mine. Literally.
6. You really learn to appreciate the little things - dry socks, getting your tent set up before the rain/hail storm, becoming used to the multiple blisters on your feet, a level campsite, not forgetting to pee before taking off your boots and climbing into your sleeping bag, and much, much more. It truly puts things in perspective.
7. When it becomes apparent that you will not reach your goal, it is okay to be mad/angry/furious with the world for a little while. But then it is important to get over yourself and realize that God is teaching you a great lesson in acknowledging others before yourself, and letting things go for His greater purposes. Extreme disappointment is allowed, however.
8. God's amazingness can be truly evident when you reach the trailhead, have no signal to call your ride, the town is 12 miles away, you've already hiked 13+ miles today, and a hippie horse wrangler from Asheville comes out of her truck just in time to offer you (and all your stuff) a ride. Apparently, the night before was whiskey night at the bar, and she had come out to camp but had chosen to sleep in her truck instead. Also, her truck had seen as many as five passengers and a dog in it at one time, so she had no qualms letting us cram our gear and our super stinky selves into it. Natalie, I love you. For real.
9. There is something truly beautiful about meeting a family of six who moved to a town of 962 people where it's winter 9 months out of the year and the closest grocery store is over an hour away, just to lead a church of 50 and fight against the extreme alcoholism and indifference that permeates the area. Comfort zone? I think not. Beautiful shining lights? Absolutely.
10. It's amazing what God can do in 2 weeks. Way more than can be included in a blog post, that's for sure. He can show you more than you ever wanted to see and can push you to do more than you thought you could. Praise be to Him who both created the mountains and gives me the strength to climb them.
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