View from the Treestand

Sharing my thoughts from yesterdays message from Luke 22:31-34.

• v31 Satan is determined to destroy my life.
• v32 Jesus is praying for me right now.
• v32 No failure should ever be considered final.
• v33-34 Warning: It can’t happen to me.

Borrowed this from a  pastor friend who blogs…thanks Greg!

• People work 5 days a week all the time and would never consider going to church 5 weeks in a row.
• Many parents see that their kids make every game in a 13 game season and yet never even think about going to church 13 weeks in a row.
• What does God think?

Reading Acts 28:23-24 today…getting ready for Sunday…preaching can be discouraging at times…not the delivery or the content but the response to the message…when there is belief there is change…reminded that when I preach some will believe the message and some won’t believe…sadly, it’s that way every Sunday…it’s always been that way…

A year ago this afternoon the worst massacre in Alabama history took place in Samson Alabama…10 killed and 6 wounded…before the shooter took his own life. I will never forget what I witnessed on that tragic day…

Davenport Gap…the end of an incredible journey…we turn to the mountain and tip our hats! We pray together thanking the Lord for his protection, provision…there were tears…a reunion I will never forget with Cindy…she has no idea what I went through on day 5…that would come in a private moment later. After taking pictures, we drive a short distance to a park for a lunch of KFC and all the extras, doughnuts, chips…what a meal!! Everybody is talking, sharing our stories…this would go on until we arrived back home in Alabama. After lunch, we drive to the Cabin in Gatlinburg, unpack while the girls fire up the washing machine for several loads of dirty clothes.  Next on the agenda…SHOWERS…7 days of…well, use your imagination. I took 3 showers in one, no kidding…hot water…soap…shampoo…didn’t want to get out! After showers and relaxing for a couple of hours we head to the Apple Barn for supper…chicken and dumplings for me. Back to the cabin for pictures around the fireplace…more stories and finally to bed. For the first time in a week my hips don’t hurt when I lie down…no more mat and wood platform for me. Just in case I haven’t mentioned it…Santa, if you’re reading this, sure would be nice to find a “Therma Rest” under the Christmas tree in a few days!!!!! Now for some sleep…good sleep…can’t hear Ron snoring…must have found his mouthpiece…

Departure Day 7

Bear footprint

Making phone calls

All five of us close to the finish!

Up before daybreak on day 7…the last day…can’t believe this adventure is about to end in a few hours…its very surreal. The Lord gave us an amazingly beautiful sunrise this morning…before we leave we share some thoughts with our shelter mates…make our circle and pray around. I have mixed emotions…want this adventure to continue but at the same time I’m really looking forward to seeing Cindy, eating at the Apple Barn (Chicken-n-Dumplings) in Gatlinburg, showering and sleeping in a real bed…no snoring…no sleepless nights…my hips are killing me…if Santa is reading this, maybe a Therma Rest air mattress will be under the tree :-)!  We begin with a short descent before our last climb to Mt. Cammerer about 5300 feet and then it’s all down hill to Davenport Gap, elevation about 2200 feet…8+ mile hike today…adrenalin is pumping! Reaching the summit of Cammerer, Mike and Ron call the wives and give them an ETA for Davenport Gap…weather is great…sun is shining…we start the last few miles. We meet several groups of hikers on the way down along with the same Ridgerunner we met several days ago. We are starting to hear some road noise…from I-40 which goes right by Davenport Gap…the pace quickens…we’re getting close to the end…about a half mile…we turn a corner and there’s Chuck to finish this incredible journey with us…

Cosby Shelter

Three friends

Auburn fans..father and son

Dating couple and one of the brothers…thru hikers

It’s Saturday, mid-afternoon as we arrive at Cosby Shelter. Can’t believe how easy today’s hike has been compared to the others…I think Mike, Ron and Danny would agree.  We have started our descent but have one more climb tomorrow morning before we descend to Davenport Gap where we will meet our wives…can’t wait to see Cindy and eat some real food! We are the 2nd group to arrive at Cosby…a father and son from the Huntsville Alabama area greet us. They are celebrating the son’s graduation from Auburn University where he played baseball for four years…with Mike, Danny and myself being huge Alabama fans we had some interesting discussions with the father and son…all in good fun! Next to arrive were 3 friends in their early 20’s who were finishing their hike tomorrow…3 brothers from Pennsylvania, in their mid to late 20’s were the next to arrive…they were “thru hikers” started at Mt. Kathadin Maine in late May and would finish at Springer Mt. Georgia in just a few days…they averaged 20-25 miles per day…lots of respect! You can tell from the pictures that one of the traditions of “thru hikers” is not to shave until the end. So far there are 12 of us…getting crowded with packs hanging everywhere and sleeping bags rolled out on the platforms…a dating couple in their 20’s arrive and like the brothers they are “thru hikers”, started in Maine as well June 1…first 28 days it rained everyday…can’t even imagine.   This the 2nd time we have had a female share a shelter with us. Shelter count is 14…real close quarters when it comes to sleeping…both platforms are packed…talk about someone invading your space!  Next to arrive are 2 friends hiking together…we first met them at Peck’s Corner, spent night 5 with them at Tricorner…like Mary and Joseph…no room in the inn (shelter)…they decide to hike further and tent for the night…we never saw them again. Since we were finishing the next day, we made a buffet of our extra food for the “thru hikers”…chocolate candy, beef jerky, mre’s, whateve we didn’t want to carry out with us…the young lady really enjoyed the candy…thanks us over and over again. Thru hikers diets are pretty bland…lots of carbs (Mac and cheese, Raeman, instant potatoes, rice, not much protein)…you get the idea…one of the brothers did have a jar of peanut butter. As I lay in my sleeping bag, I reflect on the journey…I play each day over and over again in my mind…think about the lessons God has been teaching me…it seems like its been a long time since we left Fontana Dam…tomorrow it all ends…mixed emotions…somewhere down the line of sleeping bags…snoring…

Reading Ps 100 in preparation for my Sunday mornings series “Lesson I Learned on the AT.” I was struck by one phrase in verse 5, “… his mercy is everlasting…” God’s mercy is not like the weather. It does not change with the seasons, and it does not depend on me or on anything I may do. There is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me less. His mercy is so great and his love so free that it is truly infinite and everlasting. We see God’s love and mercy most clearly at the Cross…fix your eyes upon the bloody Cross of Calvary…gaze upon the dying form of the Son of God…there you will find grace unmeasured, mercy undeserved, and love beyond degree…

Day 6 eating chocolate candy

F-4 wreckage

Several thousand foot drop on both sides of trail

A warm fire…unlimited supply of fresh water…we make it to Tricorner Shelter…God makes a way when there was no way!! Laying in my sleeping bag and listening to the rain hitting the tin roof of our shelter…I reflect on the day and all God has done for me…you take a lot of things for granted. God has a way of getting your attention…shouts or whispers…I’m listening…many thoughts cross my mind…I will never forget “Peck’s Corner” in fact I wrote in the front of my Bible “October 9, 2009 Remember Peck’s Corner, Appalachian Trail, Great Smokie Mountains.”

Waking up to overcast skies and light rain, we begin day 6…8 mile hike to Cosby Knob Shelter. This is by far the easiest day of hiking for all of us. We descend gradually from 6300 to 5000 feet. I am hydrated and feeling 100% better…back is better. We pass a spot on the trail where an F-4 crashed in 1983 killing both pilots…still lots of wreckage…we arrive at Cosby mid-afternoon…

Nothing left…I made it to Tricorner Shelter.

Feeling better…fire…plenty of water…Tricorner Shelter.

Guinea hen that someone left at Tricorner shelter. Eats out of your hand.

We begin the treck to Tricorner…the most remote shelter in the Smokys…6 miles and 3 pretty intense assents…not much talking…I’m praying…perhaps thats what everyone else is doing too. Hiking is slow, takes us about 4 hours to get to Tricorner. The smell of smoke greets us as we turn the corner and see the shelter…just as it begins to pour rain! 6 guys, a chemist, a geologist and 4 engineers, all friends, hiking together greet us with a roaring fire in the fireplace. Not only is there a fire but they have a water filtration system set up and offer us all the water we can drink…they didn’t know about our situation…God did!! Plus the spring to get water is right beside the shelter…coming right out of the mountain! This oasis God provided is more than huge…its just what I needed…what we needed…I drink and drink some more…warm myself…feels real good on the back…tears…God you are GOOD! I have an opportunity to share with our new friends my experience and how God used them to provide an Oasis in the desert…today has been the hardest day of my life…mentally and physically I have absolutely nothing left…never been challenged like this ever…pushed way beyond my limits…Lord you made a way when there was no way…