The Journey of Life

"It is good to have an end to journey towards;
but it is the journey that matters in the end."

-   Ursula K. LeGui

2017 was quite a journey for me and most of it did not center around hiking. For those of you who follow my hiking blog, I thought an update would be in order. I continue to hike when time permits, and I have included a few photos in this post from recent day hikes in multiple locations. Gold stars if you can guess any of the locations.

I left the Continental Divide Trail abruptly in August for a job opportunity that ultimately didn't pan out. While the organization still hasn't filled the position, I clearly wasn't the "perfect candidate" that I thought I was. I continue to pray for the organization and seek God's direction personally as well. I have been keeping busy doing audio work for churches and volunteering at the church we attend in Oakdale, California. Eva also keeps me busy with a "honey do" list and I am glad to help around the house since she continues to work full time.

While I was hiking the CDT, my father was moved into a memory care facility for Alzheimer's patients, and it was difficult for me to focus on hiking while other family members bore the responsibility for his care. Being home from the trail allowed me to visit him and be there to help when his health declined and he passed away September 14th. He was buried September 25th at the National Cemetery in Santa Nella with military honors. My father took me hiking and camping beginning at a very young age. My love for the mountains and exploring God's creation continued to deepen over the years and today I would describe it as nothing less than an obsession. He will be missed and every time I hike I am reminded of his influence on my life.

I continue to read and study God's Word and find it to be a source of hope and joy in the midst of challenging circumstances. There are times when I think I am finally making some progress in my spiritual walk and then there are other times when I reflect in horror at my sinful, stupid, faithless behavior and wonder whether I deserve to even bear the name: Christian. It is in those moments I take comfort in knowing that the central theme of God's Word is God's choosing to be merciful to sinners which includes me. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. Being part of a church that recognizes this tension and teaches me to daily turn to Christ and his work for me has been a true blessing.

I have a family member who is struggling to live a healthy, safe, and productive life, and the most difficult part for me is that they have chosen to struggle alone. It's hard to describe how painful it feels to be powerless to help someone you love so deeply. It's a daily struggle not to blame myself and to interpret the lack of contact as rejection. I wish there was something I could do or say that could repair our broken relationship and heal their deep wounds. While I have been intentionally vague in identifying this person to the "world wide web" out of respect for them, I invite anyone willing to pray with me for God's work in their life as I daily trust him for the same in mine.

I'm considering a new blog for 2018. In the past I have created new blogs for each thru-hike, but this doesn't allow for any continuity between hikes. If I continue to hike on a regular basis, I would end up with a dozen or more individual blogs that are totally disconnected. So...what if there was one blog where you could go to read about all my hikes and get occasional updates on life events off the trail? Thoughts anyone?

Thanks for following my adventures both on and off the trail.

Loren