A Trail

A trail is much like our Christian walk with God threw life. As we walk up the trail there are so many rocks, stumps and distractions along the trail, but you can't let that get you down. Sometimes you stumble and stop along the trail and want to rest, but you have to pick yourself up and keep going. Then it starts getting dark and you have to turn on your head lamp so you can see where you are walking. There are times when you stop on the trail and set up camp but you can't stay there forever you have to pack up camp and keep going on the trail. If you stay at there then you will not be making any progress up the trail and eventually we will run out of food and give up. If we keep going up the trail and we don't think about our body being tired we will finish the trail and get to the van and go home.





In our Christian life we are walking that trail to heaven, and we walk with God. As we walk down that trail there are many stumbling blocks along the trail that we get held up on. We cannot dwell on those stumbling blocks, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14. We need to just pick our self up and move up the trail and put it behind us. There are many times when we are walking up the trail of life and get distracted and take our eyes off the path and we stumble. God is the leader of the trail and we need to keep our hearts focused on Him, and the Bible is our lamp to guide us down the path, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105, but remember God is also our our lamp, "For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness."2 Samuel 22:29. As soon as we shut the Bible we will fall off the path and our life will be even more difficult. we need to stay in the Bible so it will be easier to live our life. Our Christian life is never easy but if we trust in God and we stay in the Bible and Pray it will be much easier. Then we will continue up the path and get to the end of the trail and come to the end of our life and go to heaven to be will our wonderful Lord and Savior.

Day 1: The Shake Down and the Shelter

I just woke up at the church in Ripley, West Virginia, and I slept in my sleeping bag on this hard floor. Everyone is meeting here at the Church at 8:30 before we leave for our hike. Their are seven guys going. 4 of them are under 16 and then the other three of us are over 21. We will be having what they call a pack shake down. This is were they make you take everything out of your pack and make sure you don't take anything that you don't need. Your pack has to be under 32 lbs with just pack and gear not including water.

We all piled into the van and headed off down 77 to a little trail town called Damascus, Virginia. We will be starting our hike about 3 miles from this town. Before we left for our hike, we went into the Mt. Rogers Outfitters store and got some last minute stuff and filled up our water bottles. Because of the lack of water on the trail, we will be filling 3 bottles up and anytime we get to a spring, we will fill all 3 up. After we filled up our bottles, we got back into the van and headed towards the trail head. We arrived there and threw our packs on, wow a weeks worth of stuff to eat all in a backpack that weighs 32 lbs. We have five dinners, four lunches, five breakfasts, two set of clothes, snacks, and some other things.

We started at 5:09 pm from our trail head, and we had to stop a couple of times to adjust our bags. We then hiked on the Appalachian Trail (AT) at an elevation level of 1,900 ft. The trail began along the Virginia Creeper Trail Creek, which was beautiful. Then it started to be a climb; we use trekking poles that help us to climb. Alot of the trail was switchbacks, which is when the trail goes back and forth on the side of the mountain. We will be going over alot of small mountains before we reach Mt. Rogers. We had to stop a couple of times so that some of the guys could catch their breath. I think this was the first hike some of the guys have ever went on. After 4.5 miles, we got to Saunders Shelter where we will be setting up camp; there are only a few shelters on the trails. The shelter is at 3,300ft, so we did alot of climbing today. Saunders Shelter is a three sided wood hut with a roof that sits up off the ground. We met some other hikers that were camping there. The one guy Joe let us have the shelter, which was very nice of him.

I just got done eating dinner; a mountain house meal comprised of Spaghetti with meat. Each one of us has a small stove that we boil our water on. You boil your water, pour it in your meal then let it sit for about 9 min; then it's ready to eat. After dinner, we hung up all our bags so that the mice cannot get into our bags. We are getting ready to do devotions. Devotions were very good; it really spoke to me. In Proverbs 27:17, it says "Iron sharpeneth iron....." and that is the purpose of this trip. We are split up in pairs and the point is for us to help each other on the hike and in our spiritual lives. God uses the number two for many things in the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12. And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." This teaches us that if we fall and we don't have that accountability partner that we can go to, it will be hard for us to pick ourselves up and get back on the right path. Then in verse 12 it talks about it being stronger if there are three. If you have God in the middle, then it will always be strong. In any relationship, a friendship or a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, you should both have God as number one in your life. If you are getting close to God and your friend/partner is getting close to God, then that means that you are getting closer to each other because God is in the middle of your relationship. That is the only way you will have good friendships with any person.

Well tomorrow will be a strenous day, so I'm going to get me some sleep. Good Night and God Bless!!!!

Starting Elevation:1,900 ft

Lowest Elevation: 2,200 ft

Highest Elevation:3,400 ft

Ending Elevation: 3,300 ft

Total Miles: 4.5

Start Time: 5:09 pm

Ending Time: 7:40 pm

50 mile Mt Rogers Hike

My next trip is Monday Aug. 18th and I will be hiking Mt. Rogers on the Appalachian Trail in the most southern part of Virginia. This Hike will be a 50 mile hike up Mt. Rogers. Mt. Rogers elevation is 5,729ft which is considered the most difficult part of the entire Appalachian Trail. We will be hiking some of God's most beautiful Mountains and Forests and we won't be able to carry any weapons. I will be going with The Wilderness Christian Camp. The group consists of guys 16 and older but there will only be 3 or 4 of us over 18 which we will be the councelers. I have been praying that God will open a door for me to be able to strengthen my spiritual life and that I would be able to help teens at the same time. The man that owns the camp called me the day after I prayed about it. He told me he had to search for my number forever to get a hold of me and he finally got it. I haven't talked to this guy for along time so I know this is all God. It will be a discipleship hike, we will be studying God's Word and helping each other out. I am kind of nervous because all these guys are from the camp so they all know each other and I'm the only one coming from out of state. I pray that God will move in my life and help me in my decisions through life. Please pray for the group and for me that we will be able to make it through the hike and also that we will grow stronger in God. Thank you and God Bless. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

Why This Blog?

I went on a hike in June In Montana in the Bob Marshal Forest. This was one of my first hikes I've went on at least this long. It was 21 miles one way 42 miles all together, but it actually ended up being 46 miles, I will talk about that later. While I went on this hike it made me realize how awesome God really is, what wonderful things he created, and it let me think about my life allot. Hiking is one of those hobbies that get you closer to God, you are in the wilderness without all the electronics and distractions of the world, just God, friends, and you. You are able to get so close to God and that is why I'm starting to hike much more. I will be journaling all of my hikes and will share all of my wonderful experiences and not so wonderful stories on the trails, but I want people to see the wonders that God has done in this world and in the wilderness. So I hope that you will read my stories and enjoy them and I hope that God moves in your life through my stories, I hope people will ask questions and will grow spiritually threw this blog. God Bless. "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." Philippians 2:2