My 9th Big Hike

The one word both Melody, my hiking buddy, and I each came up with to describe our hike this year was stillness.

We soaked in raw beauty, lush green vegetation, running creeks, beautiful lakes, fascinating hikers, rocky trails, and worn-out bodies.

So why stillness?

Both of us left demanding worlds: depressing news shows, friends in all sorts of pain, children with needs, long lists of “to dos,” too many commitments, books, podcasts, and articles we must read or listen to. Our world “back home” sometimes feels like too much.

Real life shouts for more, faster, bigger, better, accomplish, work harder. Check your feed. You don’t want to miss something. Real life is noisy.

So, running away from real life, we found ourselves for four days and three nights in the North Cascade mountains of Washington State. Our base camp was Pete Lake near the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT runs along the highest portions of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges as it traverses 2,653 miles over three states. Our adventures included treks north and south along the PCT from Pete Lake.

I carried a 29.4-pound backpack (Melody’s was heavier) as we hiked up about five miles to make our base camp from which we would take day hikes for the next three days. We carry everything — food, a tiny stove, a water filter, a tent, sleeping bags, and a few clothes. Forget a brush or make-up! We will smell horrible and look like a mess when we return!

Being completely off-grid, with no service, is such a relief. It helps us turn off normal cares and responsibilities. Our bodies and minds slowly release stress, and we begin to soak in a slower pace of the now.

After climbing steadily through thick woods for almost four hours, we stopped to rest quietly on a large moss-covered rock. Too tired to talk, we sat in companionable silence. Suddenly, we saw a deer just up the trail staring at us. Unmoving and quiet, we watched as he walked slowly towards us. He seemed unafraid, just curious. Had we been rushing or talking, he likely would have bounded away. Instead, in our being still, we were able to study his regal posture, alert eyes, and soft steps. It was a gift that came from being still.

Pete Lake is a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by peaks and valleys. One morning, there was no breeze at all. Instead, the stillness of the lake provided a detailed reflection of the surrounding beauty so clear that it was hard to distinguish where the real landscape ended and the reflection began. When the wind picked up, waves rushed in, and the reflection became cloudy. It was the absolute stillness that enabled clarity.

Often, I find that when I worry or can’t figure out what decision to make or have too much on my plate what I need is simply to be still as David says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Once, in utter frustration I cried out to the Lord, I can’t even still myself I need you to still me. I was humbled at my complete neediness and yet reassured that our heavenly Father loves it when I say, “I can’t.” Then He will step in and meet my needs.

On our hardest day, we hiked over 15 miles round-trip to Spectacle Lake. What made it so challenging was the switchbacks straight up through an area that had experienced a fire, leaving bare blackened trees and no shade. It was bitterly hot. And yet there was a different kind of beauty. Out of the ashes had grown fire plants, beautiful plants with large pink blossoms. We were reminded of the teaching that it is often out of fire, hardships, and pain that a new beauty will arise (Isaiah 61:1-3). Hope will blossom. Sometimes, the most challenging things in our lives can open us up to see great beauty through a different kind of growth.

Many times on this hike, I didn’t think I would make it to the top. My blistered toes hurt. I was soaked with sweat and tired of constantly drinking water. It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. To keep from focusing on how I felt, I counted my steps. When I reached 100, I stopped for 30 seconds to rest. Sometimes in life, we must just put one foot in front of the other to take the next step. It helps to remember that He goes before us.

Occasionally, I went through the alphabet, reciting a character trait of God or Jesus for each letter. A=You are abundant, B=You long to bless me, You are beauty, etc. This is an exercise I do at home when I need to shift my focus from myself to God, my Father.

Both Melody and I love studying the “blow downs”. Trees that have crashed during a storm or rotted out to fall with a groaning, aching twist. Some have roots that expand, and even though broken or bowed down, still produce new growth. The expansion of a large root system builds strength. In a similar way, the more I expand my knowledge of Him helps me weather challenges in my life that a narrow viewpoint limits.

When we are still, we notice details in nature and in life that enable us to see God in fresh ways.

Now that I’ve been home for a week, my body is mostly restored. Looking back, I have a few reflections on our time in the wilderness.

• We arrived tired and drained, hungry to be refreshed by our heavenly Father. Hunger can lead to refreshment. I pray for myself but also for my kids and grandkids to be hungrier for more of Him. A hunger that sends us to a more disciplined time in His word each day. When I’m in His word, I find myself refreshed because my focus shifts in small ways from who I am to who He is.
• We needed a break from the cares of the world. A sabbath time. A wise older friend once said,
  A change of place leads to a change of pace and a change of perspective. We found this to be true! Now I’m asking, Father, show me some new creative ways in my day-to-day life to make time for Sabbath moments — to be still and focus on you.

Here are some scriptures to contemplate in Sabbath moments.

• Rev 22:17 “Come! Let the one who hears say, Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”
• Psalm 19 “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands…”
• Psalm 48:14 “For this God is our god forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.”

Read about our previous hikes