This last weekend I got to go backpacking at Crown Lake with one of my best friends Sarah Wart and three of my sisters. We all set off on Friday in high spirits toward the Cascade Mountains hoping for a great adventure. We didn't know how much of an adventure it would turn out to be. On the way up we listened to 'The Midwife's Apprentice' and laughed at the blunders and antics of Beetle and Jane Sharp. Once we reached the gravel road the sun was starting to set and the potholes began to appear. Bumping along we chatted about how nice it was to be out in the mountains again. I was just soaking in the smells of the forest when suddenly Sarah pointed out that there was 'smoke' coming out of the hood of the car. I hurriedly pulled over and all of us car challenged girls piled out of the car and crowded around the front of the car just staring at the steam pouring out. We gave guesses to each other of what the problem could be, but of course we really didn't know for sure. At some point of our pondering, we decided it would be best to pray. After that we hiked up the road to find a flat spot to camp out since it was starting to get dark and we weren't really sure how much farther we had to go till the trail head. Only after a couple turns did we find a little road that flatten out to an open area perfect for camping. That was also when we saw one of God's first little blessings that He gave us that weekend, Mount Jefferson. It was so majestic with it's snow covered top and the orange sunset reflecting off of it! We spread out or gear, set up the tent for the little girls, and laid the tarp out for Camilyn, Sarah, and I. Our sleep wasn't the greatest since the moon was so bright and there were rocks under us, but we all stayed warm, which was amazing! In the morning we all got up early at 7, ate our breakfasts of bagels and trail mix, and packed up our gear.
We checked on the car again to see if we could solve anything, but all we figured out was that there was green fluid everywhere, which didn't mean too much to us :) (We wondered if the issue had to do with the coolant and the radiator, but weren't sure) Fortunately for us that afternoon a couple members of the church were supposed to come up to Crown Lake to go camping, so we didn't have to worry about being completely stranded out there. Another good thing was that we had a map, except we couldn't really figure out just how far it was to the lake. We had the whole day so we figured, why not try hiking up to it. (I'd have to say though, when you're out of shape it isn't the easiest thing to just start backpacking, but I did make it and later found out that it was only 2 measly miles...sad) The hike was spent encouraging either Rachelle or Selena to 'Keep going!'. They didn't seem to be too impressed with the idea of backpacking, but they were troopers about it. Once we got to the lake it was about 1:00 pm and we all decided to jump into the lake/muck to cool off. It was very refreshing and after a bit I started to lose feeling so we lay out in the sun to dry out. There were a couple of us that dozed off in the warmth. The church group got to the camp site around 4:00 so our quiet camp became filled with noise.
It was great having the company and many headed to the lake to get refreshed. Once everyone was out of the lake, a fire was made and the makings of s'mores were put out. Conversations and sticky faces (some worse than others) and fingers were seen all around. As the sun was making it's way lower in the sky, much of the group started to hike out. Only the Segura family, Sarah and I were left out there in the great outdoors. We continued talking around the fire and enjoying the companionship of those around us. Finally we headed off to bed, where the frogs sung us to sleep. On Sunday morning we ate a yummy breakfast and packed up our gear to head out. The Segura's gave Sarah and I a ride down to our car so we didn't have to hike out all the way. I was quite grateful! Apparently the car problems did involve the radiator and the lack of coolant! The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, which I was very glad about. So, I feel truly blessed! God gave me a weekend with one of my best friend and sisters, gorgeous views, cool water, sunshine, peace, wonderful weather, safety, the ability to laugh, rest, and so much more.... God definitely blessed us with an amazing weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment