May 27, 2008
Beautiful Treasures out of the Ashes
I've been dealt a blow in my life to many things, mostly to my pride and my own plans and dreams. But even so soon after I can perceive that I was hindering myself in my relationship to God. I am now freer than ever to sit at His feet and bask in His love and grace. I hope to once again take up the pursuit of Him with all the fervor a body can manage, and yet with steadfastness, and a level head. How sweet it is to be in love with one's Savior!!!
May 13, 2008
How to scare the living daylights out of yourself
When I was out and about today making mental notes of things to write about, I originally intended for this post to be titled: Bushwhacking, oh boy is it rewarding! Or something to that extent. However, as my experience progressed, I came to a rather different conclusion! If you read my story you will find out why.
I set out this afternoon on a run with my new shoes, wanting to break them in and get some badly needed exercise. I was planning on just jogging around some neighborhoods off of North Main street and then be back in a half hour or so. But as my runs typically go, I followed roads that led on out to the outskirts of neighborhoods, closer to the hills and woods that stretch out east of North Main. I got to a dead end of a street with empty grassy lots on all sides waiting for homes to be built on them, and seeing a primitive dirt road going off towards the woods I decided then and there that I needed to do some bushwhacking.
When I first went off the road I headed up over a hill covered in tall grass in the direction of some thick woods that were behind it. I got up to the woods and realized that to get into them I was going to have to push through thick brambles and bushes and all sorts of undergrowth. Eager for an adventure of any kind, I didn't hesitate but made my way through the brambles, occasionally following what looking like deer trails, as there were faint openings between the bushes that were too narrow to have been made by people. In spite of my carefulness, by the end of my venture into the unknown, my legs were covered with merciless scratches - bleeding really in several places. Oh but well worth it! But back to my story, in order to get into the thick of the woods, I had to climb over a very rusted barbwire fence, but that was nothing compared to the thorn bushes! The woods I found looked virtually untouched with a thick canopy overhead blocking out most of the sunlight. I wandered around for a bit picking mushrooms and looking for deer tracks but decided to press on.
I crossed back over the barbwire fence but at a different location. On the other side was some of the thickest undergrowth yet. About 20 feet into the brush and sort of down the sloping hill I found an amazing sight. A pine tree had fallen over, but it's branches had kept it propped up some and the vines that grew over it had made it look almost like a cave, and I knew that this was definitely a place that deer took shelter in, especially in winter. It was like something from Bambi I thought. I crawled inside and was surprised at the amount of room it afforded. It was a good 15 feet deep and about 5 feet wide. The dirt was a bit damp but luckily I didn’t see any weird bugs or snakes. I wish I had had my camera with me because it was pretty sweet looking. At this point I was determined to keep exploring the back country, convinced that I was going to find something even better yet if I didn’t give up. After some time I made my way back over the fence, through the woods, and out of the thick and thorny bushes. I went back to the dirt road I had found originally and followed it for a bit, about 5 min and then made my way off up the hillside again towards a clearing that was sitting low between two other hills.
I hiked all the way to the edge of the clearing, wondering if it would be any good for camping, and then went east up one of the hills. I found some really neat trails through the pine trees and found lots of deer tracks. At the top of the hill the woods got thicker and the brambles were more abundant and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to explore those woods too. I started hearing some noises and I got really still to try and figure it out. It sounded like footfalls, steadily pushing through the brush. SHWUMP! SHWUMP! SHWUMP! My first thoughts were “Oh no! I’m on someone’s property and they’re coming to tell me to buzz off!” I decided to be brave and went all the way up to the top of the ridge in the woods and looked down to try and see where the noise was coming from. I could still hear it, but it seemed to be fading away. Then I saw a bird thrashing around in the bushes making quite a racket, and satisfied myself that it had been the noisemaker. Beyond where the bird was, I saw some big rocks jutting up and walking towards them realized that there was a big ravine in the middle of those woods, although there was no creek running through it. All around the ravine were big rocks jutting up, covered in moss and some had thick tree roots growing over them. It was fascinating, almost like the ruins of an old small castle (I have a vivid imagination, my friends) I climbed all over the rocks and realized that this could possibly be a future secret getaway, to be revisited time and time again! I was thrilled that I had gone as far as I had, and as my blood was still pulsating with a lust for adventure, I kept going through the woods and bushes.
I was heading northeast and away from the dirt road that led back to the outskirts of the neighborhood I had left. I was just sort of aimlessly wandering, thinking about all the things I had seen and wishing that I had my camera along with me. Of course, as I had originally set out for a short run around my neighborhood, there was no way I could have seen this coming. Occasionally I came across wooden stakes driven into the ground with some kind of colored tape or cloth tied to the top, marking off property boundaries I suppose. Some of the stakes driven into the ground were metal, and looked as if they should have a “no trespassing” sign at their tops, but I never saw a single sign that told me to keep out. I started coming across some really interesting terrain, small clearings here and there, rocks, pine trees and sloping hillsides so I just kept going. But then I saw something that made me hesitate. There was a metal stake stuck in the ground, but hanging on it was an old, dirty looking brown jacket of sorts. It suddenly dawned on me that there could be other people out in the woods and they might not be out there just looking for fun like me. It seemed pretty sketchy and my senses all went 100% alert as, like an idiot, I went over to get a closer look. Then I realized that there was a man hiding behind a tree, his body stretched out on the ground as it sloped downwards. As soon as I realized it was a person, I leaned in a little closer to get a better look, but as soon as I saw their head lifting up in my direction, I decided to hightail it out of there!!!
I took off running directly back to where I had come from, feeling like an idiot because I knew I was making tons of noise but figured that it didn’t matter since they obviously were aware of my presence. I kept looking back over my shoulder as my brain kept telling me that it was probably a fugitive of sorts hiding out from the law. I was about a mile back through the way I had come, and as I wanted to be out in the open and safe as quickly as possible, I decided to follow a line of stakes that were headed back in the general direction of the dirt road and ran as fast as I could to the end of the stake line, then across another big grassy clearing and out to the dirt road!! I looked back a few more times but never saw anyone coming after me. I’m pretty glad I never saw the person’s face and looked into their eyes, as I know it would have burned brightly in my mind and haunted me for many nights to come.
I have decided that I’m pretty sure I’ll think twice before I wander off into the woods by myself in the middle of nowhere without telling anyone where I am. I hope to go back to my pretend ruined rock castle in the ravine, but I’ll definitely have to take someone with me! Phew I’m glad my folly didn’t end up being the end of me, but I can’t say that I regret my escapade into the wilderness.
I set out this afternoon on a run with my new shoes, wanting to break them in and get some badly needed exercise. I was planning on just jogging around some neighborhoods off of North Main street and then be back in a half hour or so. But as my runs typically go, I followed roads that led on out to the outskirts of neighborhoods, closer to the hills and woods that stretch out east of North Main. I got to a dead end of a street with empty grassy lots on all sides waiting for homes to be built on them, and seeing a primitive dirt road going off towards the woods I decided then and there that I needed to do some bushwhacking.
When I first went off the road I headed up over a hill covered in tall grass in the direction of some thick woods that were behind it. I got up to the woods and realized that to get into them I was going to have to push through thick brambles and bushes and all sorts of undergrowth. Eager for an adventure of any kind, I didn't hesitate but made my way through the brambles, occasionally following what looking like deer trails, as there were faint openings between the bushes that were too narrow to have been made by people. In spite of my carefulness, by the end of my venture into the unknown, my legs were covered with merciless scratches - bleeding really in several places. Oh but well worth it! But back to my story, in order to get into the thick of the woods, I had to climb over a very rusted barbwire fence, but that was nothing compared to the thorn bushes! The woods I found looked virtually untouched with a thick canopy overhead blocking out most of the sunlight. I wandered around for a bit picking mushrooms and looking for deer tracks but decided to press on.
I crossed back over the barbwire fence but at a different location. On the other side was some of the thickest undergrowth yet. About 20 feet into the brush and sort of down the sloping hill I found an amazing sight. A pine tree had fallen over, but it's branches had kept it propped up some and the vines that grew over it had made it look almost like a cave, and I knew that this was definitely a place that deer took shelter in, especially in winter. It was like something from Bambi I thought. I crawled inside and was surprised at the amount of room it afforded. It was a good 15 feet deep and about 5 feet wide. The dirt was a bit damp but luckily I didn’t see any weird bugs or snakes. I wish I had had my camera with me because it was pretty sweet looking. At this point I was determined to keep exploring the back country, convinced that I was going to find something even better yet if I didn’t give up. After some time I made my way back over the fence, through the woods, and out of the thick and thorny bushes. I went back to the dirt road I had found originally and followed it for a bit, about 5 min and then made my way off up the hillside again towards a clearing that was sitting low between two other hills.
I hiked all the way to the edge of the clearing, wondering if it would be any good for camping, and then went east up one of the hills. I found some really neat trails through the pine trees and found lots of deer tracks. At the top of the hill the woods got thicker and the brambles were more abundant and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to explore those woods too. I started hearing some noises and I got really still to try and figure it out. It sounded like footfalls, steadily pushing through the brush. SHWUMP! SHWUMP! SHWUMP! My first thoughts were “Oh no! I’m on someone’s property and they’re coming to tell me to buzz off!” I decided to be brave and went all the way up to the top of the ridge in the woods and looked down to try and see where the noise was coming from. I could still hear it, but it seemed to be fading away. Then I saw a bird thrashing around in the bushes making quite a racket, and satisfied myself that it had been the noisemaker. Beyond where the bird was, I saw some big rocks jutting up and walking towards them realized that there was a big ravine in the middle of those woods, although there was no creek running through it. All around the ravine were big rocks jutting up, covered in moss and some had thick tree roots growing over them. It was fascinating, almost like the ruins of an old small castle (I have a vivid imagination, my friends) I climbed all over the rocks and realized that this could possibly be a future secret getaway, to be revisited time and time again! I was thrilled that I had gone as far as I had, and as my blood was still pulsating with a lust for adventure, I kept going through the woods and bushes.
I was heading northeast and away from the dirt road that led back to the outskirts of the neighborhood I had left. I was just sort of aimlessly wandering, thinking about all the things I had seen and wishing that I had my camera along with me. Of course, as I had originally set out for a short run around my neighborhood, there was no way I could have seen this coming. Occasionally I came across wooden stakes driven into the ground with some kind of colored tape or cloth tied to the top, marking off property boundaries I suppose. Some of the stakes driven into the ground were metal, and looked as if they should have a “no trespassing” sign at their tops, but I never saw a single sign that told me to keep out. I started coming across some really interesting terrain, small clearings here and there, rocks, pine trees and sloping hillsides so I just kept going. But then I saw something that made me hesitate. There was a metal stake stuck in the ground, but hanging on it was an old, dirty looking brown jacket of sorts. It suddenly dawned on me that there could be other people out in the woods and they might not be out there just looking for fun like me. It seemed pretty sketchy and my senses all went 100% alert as, like an idiot, I went over to get a closer look. Then I realized that there was a man hiding behind a tree, his body stretched out on the ground as it sloped downwards. As soon as I realized it was a person, I leaned in a little closer to get a better look, but as soon as I saw their head lifting up in my direction, I decided to hightail it out of there!!!
I took off running directly back to where I had come from, feeling like an idiot because I knew I was making tons of noise but figured that it didn’t matter since they obviously were aware of my presence. I kept looking back over my shoulder as my brain kept telling me that it was probably a fugitive of sorts hiding out from the law. I was about a mile back through the way I had come, and as I wanted to be out in the open and safe as quickly as possible, I decided to follow a line of stakes that were headed back in the general direction of the dirt road and ran as fast as I could to the end of the stake line, then across another big grassy clearing and out to the dirt road!! I looked back a few more times but never saw anyone coming after me. I’m pretty glad I never saw the person’s face and looked into their eyes, as I know it would have burned brightly in my mind and haunted me for many nights to come.
I have decided that I’m pretty sure I’ll think twice before I wander off into the woods by myself in the middle of nowhere without telling anyone where I am. I hope to go back to my pretend ruined rock castle in the ravine, but I’ll definitely have to take someone with me! Phew I’m glad my folly didn’t end up being the end of me, but I can’t say that I regret my escapade into the wilderness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)