Hiking the AT!

Oh, snap.

Well, I went hiking. It murdered my little, baby calves, but the friends with whom I got to share the adventure are the best friends a man could hope to have. They were definitely very gracious to me since I was the weakest link in the chain.

I learned too many lessons—or at least observed learnable lessons. (I'm not the best learner sometimes.)

• The human body can endure quite a lot.
• My calves were in serious pain on the first day of the trip (we hiked for three days), but they survived the entire ordeal.
• It's good to receive help.
• My friends helped me by lending equipment, slowing the pace of the march, offering general encouragement, providing remedies for my miserable limbs, as well as other kindnesses.
• It's not that bad.
• I kept it to myself for the most part, but I whined a lot inside my head. Sometimes, I was just muttering my way through the next mile, but, sometimes, I really was just whining.
• Nevertheless, I survived with no scars to show. It wasn't as bad as I tried to make it sound inside my brain.
• Proper equipment is vital.
• I brought jeans to the trip. If Greg had not lent me some swooshy pants, I would have been a more miserable, drowned rat.
• I had boots, but they were not made for hiking. I think that's what killed my calves.
• Most of the equipment was lent to me anyway: tent, pack, a light raincoat, headlamp, and pretty much just about everything. In the direst of situations, I could have survived without. I am thankful I didn't have to survive without.

The biggest lesson, however, that rang through my mind over and over again was that my life will not destroy me. I often lament to God how hard some trial is, perhaps even saying that it will destroy me. God was telling me over and over again, "Yes, it hurts. No, it will not destroy you. You will endure. You will grow. I love you."

Finally, I got a super-long nap on Sunday, and my mood improved dramatically. I think I was being a party pooper to a large extent, but I really did need rest. After the ultra nap, my legs just hurt; they weren't necessarily trying to kill me.

It was great exercise, but I am even super much more thankful for the friends: Janine, Greg, Lauren, and Franciska. I don't know how to describe them sufficiently. They have such gentle, gracious, generous spirits. They are filled with thankfulness. They are filled with patient understanding and light humor. They are filled with abounding warmth and words of encouragement. They have prayers on their lips and God's kingdom on their hearts and minds.

That's a meager preface, but it will have to do for now.

Well, I'm off to write this and that.

Pip pip, cheerio!