Mind Clearing Hike

One of the items on my 30 Before 30 List was to go hiking with David. We had been talking about doing it since college, but never got around to it. I figured by putting it on a "to-do" list we would definitely accomplish it. In the midst of all this, the crazy Mother Nature gave us a few days of 60 and 70 degree temps. We decided to take her up on it and head out to breathe in some fresh air and clear our heads a bit.

Our first attempt took us to the Whitewater Center. The key word is "attempt". It had rained for a few days prior to Saturday, but we didn't think much of it. To our surprise we were greeted with news that the trails were closed. The parking attendant informed us of a gravel trail we could try, but it was only eight tenths of a mile, and we would still have to pay for parking. Bleck. We decided to hit the road again and head for Crowder's Mountain.

About thirty minutes later we were hitting the trails. In our extreme naivete we decided to take on the "strenuous" 2.8 mile route. Little did we know the route was 2.8 miles one way, and that it didn't even take us to the top. The trail took us to another spot where we could either return to the visitor's center or we could keep going to get to the top. We felt fine and chose to keep going.

If the trail had continued as it was we would have been fine, but it began to go almost entirely up with no flat spots for rest. Then, there were the steepest set of stairs I had ever climbed, or at least it seemed that way. When we finally did reach the top (after quite a few breaks for me) we were out of breath and ready to rest. The view that greeted us made it all worth it.

Kind of foggy, but worth the climb.

David and Daisy had no interest in the view or the cliff you had to climb to see it.

After a few minutes of taking it all in we headed back down. Our adventurous pup did way better than both of us and was scaling rocks left and right.

She was in no mood to model for the camera.

The paths we took, both up the mountain and back down, varied as we walked. Some parts were rocky and covered with tree roots, while other parts were smooth and flat. A book we are reading for a marriage class through our church compared hiking a trail to the seasons of a marriage. Some moments are flat and mostly uneventful, while others are bumpy and keep you on your toes. We are in a season of bumps and challenges, but will see a season of rest eventually. We don't know when that will happen, but it will. 

David's strength through all this has amazed me. He has been able to have those difficult conversations with others that I am not quite ready for. He has held me when I've cried despite the other millions of things he could be doing. He has constantly pointed me to God when I've struggled, reminding me that we are not in this alone. Like the song says, "God gave me you for the ups and downs". Whether we're on a mountain and I need a break, or I'm crying on the couch and need a hug, God certainly gave me David for a reason.