the hike/neature walk

First, watch this video:

Last Sunday I planned a hike for the interns.  We had originally wanted to go camping, but due to the Colorado Springs burn ban, we wouldn't be able to make a fire.  So we opted for just a hike instead.  We got up early and drove through the mountains to Buena Vista, CO.  

It was a beautiful and fairly warm day, perfect for a hike.  We were planning on 10.5 miles in about 5 1/2 hours, plus lunch at Bear Lake, our destination.  I was the planner of the hike so I registered the group, and we were off.

It was a little tough at some spots as we were gaining elevation and losing oxygen.  But the trail was beautiful.  We were really excited the first time we saw snow.  We thought, 'How neat is that?'  But pretty soon we were sick of snow and we were tromping through it and often our steps would land us in snow up to our knees.

After a few hours there was still no sign of the lake.  We past several hikers who turned back before they made it.  Finally, we stopped at a grassy plateau, and talked with a group who estimated it would be 3 hours more to the lake.  So needless to say we stopped there.

After leaving this spot, we had a little trouble finding the trail.  We had gone of course a little bit when the trees thinned out, so it wasn't clear.  We couldn't really find it, so we started following the river we had loosely followed on the way in.  

At this point, I was freaking out.  I thought we were going in the completely opposite direction.  I was just imagining us getting totally lost, the sun going down, and ending the day getting attacked by a bear.  Not to mention we were all cold and wet from the snow.  I was feeling so alone.  

But I began praying (I'm pretty sure we all were at this point) and not more than 5 minutes later, we stumbled upon the trail.  And we had missed the worst of the snow too!  You're probably thinking, 'Well, that's pretty neat!' It definitely was.  The hike was a huge wake up call that we've never alone.  Even when a situation feels completely hopeless and is completely out of your control, Jesus is sovereign.  He leads us and lays out our path before us, even when we can't see the end.  I'm never alone and I'm never lost.  I'm never on the wrong path because I have the power to call on Jesus and he listens.