Wish I Were There

The 2007 Chuck Wilson Memorial Backpack for BENCHMARK, the 13th annual funding hike for BENCHMARK Adventure Ministries, begins this afternoon, October 18th, and ends Sunday, October 21st. A group of nine hikers including my friend James Evans plan to backpack 43.2 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting at Hurricane Gap, hiking right through the middle of Hot Springs, NC and on to I-40 near the TN/NC state line.

James requests prayer for the following:

• Please pray for our investment in each other and in the people we meet along the trail. May we be functional members of the Body of Christ.
• Pray that the Lord would encourage donors to commit to investing in the lives of others through the ministry of BENCHMARK

If I could be two places at one time, I'd be there. Maybe next year, Lord willing.

Roan Mountain Retreat

Cross posted from DigiTrail Blaze

We had a wonderful time at Fairhaven. We spent quite a bit of our time reading and listening to music. We hiked a little on the property Monday and went up to Roan Mountain Tuesday. Considering the drought this year, we were surprised that the color was still nice in higher elevations. Our digital camera doesn't begin to capture the beauty of it. I'd recommend Fairhaven to anyone who needs a quiet getaway. It is a wonderful, faith-based ministry to those who are hurting or in need of spiritual renewal. The following video shows the beauty of Roan Mountain, and if you watch it to the end, you'll see some of the Fairhaven property and the cottage we stayed in.

Another Reason I Don't HIke Out West

This article from the New York Times reminds me why I like to hike in the southeastern U.S. We usually have a place to go when we need to go, or at least enough soil to dig a hole in which to do "our business."

The description of the old privy on Mt. Whitney reminded me of some of those in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. These "room with a view" privies would have been great if they had not been such popular spots for mosquitoes. Of course, those probably aren't a problem in California. That might be nice.

Judging from my limited hiking experiences in Colorado, it would take me several days to get used to the altitude anyway. I don't do well above 12,000 feet. The lack of easily accessible water would further add to my dehydration. If I didn't die before my descent, I'd probably come back with an empty Wagbag.

Paddling Our Canoe

On Knife Lake in northern Minnesota....

Our Trip Stats

My friend James recently compiled the stats for our trip to the BWCA, July 25-31.

Wednesday – travel day from Nashville to Ely, MN, by plane and car
Thursday – 10.8 miles of travel including 5527' of portages (carrying canoe and gear down a path from one lake to another)
Friday – 8.8 miles travel including 1402' of portages
Saturday – 12.5 miles travel including 5940' of portages
Sunday – 11.2 miles travel including 3349' of portages
Monday – 11.3 miles travel, no portages
Tuesday – travel day back to Nashville, by car and plane

We paddled 51.5 miles and portaged just over 3 miles!

He also gave me a copy of our handwritten trip log. Maybe I'll share a few highlights from that later.

Loon Lift-Off Video

Please check out this video on my other blog. It's really cool!

Avoiding the "Monkey Butt" Problem

Please don't be offended if I make a personal recommendation, and I mean, a very personal recommendation, for a product that you should carry on every hiking trip. Yes, it's Anti Monkey Butt Powder. I didn't name the stuff, but 3 out of 4 guys on our most recent trip can testify that it works. Paddling and portaging in wet swim trunks can really become irritating, especially in unseasonably warm temps, but this stuff keeps you comfortable in all those unmentionable places. And the name does make it a lot of fun on a trip with just guys. One of my co-paddlers, who shall remain nameless, asked to borrow the bottle for his daily "treatment." I said, "Sure, I left the bottle at the edge of the tent. It has your name on it!" At least I didn't say it had his picture on it!

Another funny thing happened in the Duluth airport at the security checkpoint. I was having trouble finding in my carry-on bag the quart-size bag with all my 4 oz. or less liquids, and thought I must have put it in the groups' checked bag. So I wasn't surprised when the screener stopped my bag in the x-ray machine and said she saw something that had to come out. I figured it was the bag of liquid stuff that I couldn't locate. I was totally caught off guard when she pulled out my bottle of AMB powder and said, "This is what I saw." We both laughed as I assured her that this was not a dangerous substance. Hopefully, it was a bright spot in her day.

I'd like to thank my crude brother-in-law for his Christmas gift of AMB powder. It's been a gift that keeps on giving "comfort and joy"!