Prelude to Adventure

"For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."
~ Psalm 95:3-4

God must delight in surprises, because He sure is full of them. While I'm sure it pains Him to watch His children suffer when their plans fall apart under the weight of His superior plans, I'm sure He also finds great joy in knowing what is best for His children and acting upon it. While His purposes are rarely clear in the beginning and while we may suffer - torn, at times, from our hopes and dreams - His will is ultimately better, and because He loves us, we are left better off in the long run.

These are the thoughts I often turn to when I reminisce on the adventure that transformed my life. In December of 2005, I was a junior in college and still bent on my high school dream of writing a novel. Long ago, I had worked everything out in my mind. I would write a story of unparalleled inspiration, tearing through traditional expectations, and, upon graduation, I would already be a best-selling author. I felt it was my purpose. My primary aim in life seemed the fulfillment of this dream. But it was getting harder to accomplish as I became distracted and confused. To make matters worse, I was losing interest. As I desperately clung to my teenage aspirations, like a sailor to the mast of his sinking ship, I became frustrated...then angry. Why had God led me down this path only for it to end in failure? I felt defeated and lost. I had spent so much time and energy... and for what? What was I supposed to do now? By the end of 2005, I was distant from God, unsure of His faithfulness and unsure of my relationship with Him. Little did I know, He was never far.

One day, I got a phone call from an old friend. "I think it would be really cool to get the old crew back together for a camping trip on New Years," said my friend, Rich. "We'll hike to McAfee's Knob and spend the night. It'll be like old times." The idea of spending some quality time with my old friends, The Nightwalkers, interested me more than the idea of backpacking, but it was more than enough for me to commit. I had not camped, let alone backpacked, in a long time. I didn't know if I'd be up to the challenge, but Rich assured me it wouldn't be a difficult hike, and everyone would be out of practice. And although the hike was a little tough - since I was way out of shape - it ended up being totally worth it. We reached the Appalachian Trail shelter ahead of schedule and made camp, our Scout skills resurfacing as if we had never lost them.

It felt good to be doing something. To set up a tent, pick up firewood, light a stove, get dirt on my hands. The air was crisp and clean with a little bite as I breathed through my nostrils. Leaves crunched beneath my feet, and the chilly mountain breeze gently stung my skin. I felt inspired... alive! This experience - the outdoor experience - was new to me all over again. That night we made a scorching fire and crowded together, cupping bowls of steaming brunswick stew. It was good to reconnect, to talk and laugh in the still and quiet of the night. I remember a satisfaction I had not felt in a long time.

The next day, we shouldered our day packs and began the climb to McAfee's Knob, Roanoke, VA's most photographed landmark and Appalachian Trail hot spot. Again, I struggled but succeeded. We reached the Knob, and I stood, amazed. Only once in my life could I remember a view such as this. While staring across the wintry, Virginia valley, I realized how much I had taken for granted, and the ache of my heart told me what was missing. In this moment, I found myself caring more about the present reality than any fictitious moment I could create. The granite cliffs were real. The drifting clouds were real. Me, standing on the mountaintop... real.

And in retrospect I attribute this experience to God, the Creator of those mountains. The Annual Nightwalker Trip (which it would ultimately become) at McAfee's Knob laid a seed. In little time, I became enthralled with the natural world. I could feel its power and testimony. It both amazed and perplexed me. I felt drawn to it, and so began my great love for outdoor adventure. But more importantly, it was through the outdoors that God spoke to me. For so long I had been making plans, uninterested in His own. Then, when things fell apart, I fell away. Now, I look back on my first, true, outdoor experience, and I can see God pursuing me. I can see God's hand in the mountains, how He conceived and shaped them. Being as stubborn as any man, I needed a strong example of God's strength and faithfulness, and He delivered with His Creation... Of all things.

My life has changed in many ways since 2005. God has fostered in me a great love for the outdoors. I care very deeply about peoples' interaction with nature, especially America's children, and I want to share my appreciation for God's splendor, depicted perfectly through Creation. And I still write, only now with a different purpose.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."
~ Hosea 6:3