Camping, four-wheeling, and my first time to hike a fourteener!

On Labor Day, we loaded up our motorhome with camping gear, loaded the four-wheelers on a trailer behind Dad's truck, which Sam drove, and took off with new friends the Russels for a few days in the mountains. We had a blast four-wheeling, hiking, reading stories and cooking over the fire. I have a lot of pictures I want to share, so you might as well get comfortable. I'm making up for not posting much for a while. :)

    

We found a camp site late in the afternoon. The first order of business was to build a fire. Brother Jonathan Russel brought this grill to cook on.

I thought the axe leaning against a pile of firewood made a neat picture.

Breakfast the first morning.

We decided to take a hike to get a little in shape for the hike we were planning up Mt. Antero. We went a ways up the Missouri Gulch trail. Ahead is my friend Angie. Going up mountains, she and I go at about the same pace-- slower than everyone else! It helped me feel better that I wasn't the only one left behind. :)

Coming back, we stopped on this bridge just down from the trailhead. The boys amused themselves-- and the girls-- by throwing big huge rocks in the creek and making a humongous SPLASH!

I caught Danny just after he threw a rock!

Later the same day, all we young people took the four-wheelers as far as we could take them up Missouri Mountain. Then we walked the short distance to a lake up there. Last summer some of the kids had hiked up Missouri Mountain, which they nicknamed Mount Misery because of the hard climb. We decided it wouldn't be a good idea to try to climb it this time! But we did enjoy the lake. Here we had just left the four-wheelers and were heading toward the lake.

After a short distance over a couple hills, you come out and see the beautiful lake!

I took a panorama of the lake and the gorgeous scenery. It was just so peaceful. The only other person was a fisherman way down on the other side.

Then we all started back. I traded four-wheelers so I could get a more comfortable seat! The four-wheeler I came up on about rattled me to pieces!

There were a few unfortunate times when we had to stop for Sam to get his three-wheeler going again. Usually it didn't take long and we were on our way again.

A stand of aspens along the trail. They almost made a canopy.

In the evening, we needed more firewood. The boys decided to try cutting down this dead aspen tree. Can you spy Timmy chopping with the axe?

A little bit of a better picture. It was hard to get a good picture because of all the foliage in the way!

Sam tries to figure out how to get a strap high up on the tree so the guys can pull it over.

Sam climbed part-way up the tree so he could loop the strap around a branch.

Everyone gathered to watch. Sam got the strap looped over a branch, and all the boys (and Dad) pulled as hard as they could! When the tree started to fall, they let go and ran to get out of the way!

Crash! If you look closely, you might see the dust raised from the tree falling. The tree was so brittle, it broke into pieces when it hit the ground!

Suppertime.

Enjoying coffee or hot cocoa around the fire the next morning.

We made our way to the Mt. Antero trailhead and unloaded all the four-wheelers.

Making sure the four-wheelers have gas, and making sure we have enough water and a little lunch. We rode as far as we could get on the four-wheelers, then hiked the last half mile or so to the top of Mt. Antero.

Getting up above timberline on the four-wheelers.

At one point, we came around a curve and got hit by a blast of wind! We stopped for a minute and found shelter behind this sign-post!

When we were getting close to the top, we had to leave some of the four-wheelers because the high altitude wasn't agreeing with them. While three of us waited for a couple people to drop the others and come back for us, I zoomed in on them.

Starting the hike to the top.

Huffing and puffing up the trail. At least Angie and I were huffing and puffing!

The people who had gotten dropped off started up while two came back to get the rest of us. There the first hikers are on top.

We made it to the top!

Even the wind was celebrating-- it made my hair go crazy!

The view from on top.

After we successfully got to the top, we decided to have a little picnic in this spot just down from the summit. It was sheltered from the wind and made the perfect spot to eat our sandwiches and apples.

In the middle of this picture are the four-wheelers at the end of the four-wheeler trail. Along the top of the ridge to the right is the trail.

Starting back down.

A look back from the four-wheelers at what we climbed. Angie and I were a little dubious at first about the steep hike, but it was fine.

The scenery was gorgeous! This is seen from the four-wheeler trail up Mount Missouri. We so enjoyed our time camping with the Russels!

Is Jesus' Love Enough?

Because of some things that came up in the last few days, I was feeling hurt and lonely. It felt like no one cared about me and what I was struggling with. I was asking the Lord, "Why is it so hard to let Your love be enough?"

 It is so easy for me to focus on seeking the approval of other people rather than being content with Jesus' love. Sometimes it is hard for me to grasp how much Jesus really loves me. That is something God has been talking to me about. And to show me how much He loves me, God has been pointing me to the cross.

If no one else understands my pain, Jesus does. Last night, I started reading in Luke with Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. All alone, forgotten even by his closest disciples as they slept, Jesus said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) Luke said Jesus was "in agony." He didn't want to go through the ordeal ahead of Him. He knew what was coming. But in spite of the agony, He chose the Father's will--redemption of lost mankind. Redemption for me--for you.

I read on through Jesus' arrest and trial. He was the Son of God, yet He allowed Himself to be arrested, mocked, beaten, spit on. If anyone had the right to speak up and say, "Look, you can't do this to me," it was Jesus. He had never done any wrong. He allowed His rights to be trampled in the dust--for me. He was hung on a cross--for me. I don't think we can fully understand what all Jesus went through. Being crucified was terrible. Add to that all the sins of all the people in the world from the beginning to the end, and a loving Heavenly Father turning His back in the greatest hour of need, and you have a crushing load. Jesus could have come down from the cross. He could have said, "It is not worth it to save these miserable humans. Most of them are not even going to accept the sacrifice I am making." He didn't say that. Instead, He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34). He stayed on the cross and bore the shame and the pain. He stayed on the cross even as He cried out, "My God, My God,why have you forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34)   

 Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the thought that if I was the only person on this planet, Jesus would still have found it worth it to die for me.  He would have done the same for you. (What I am saying is true for anyone: I am just trying to explain it in a personal way.) You and I are worth so much to Jesus that He came and was hung on a cross and suffered and died so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. Think about that for a little bit. We are worth Jesus giving His life, not because of anything great we did, but because He made us in His image and because of His great love.

There was darkness and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Because of Jesus, we were given direct access to God.

 I would like to share a poem I wrote about the crucifixion for a class more than a year ago. Because of the form I was working with (in each stanza you switch up the last words of the six lines in a stanza and have an ending stanza of three lines with all six words in it), this poem was a little challenging to write. This is not a great literary masterpiece, but I think it fits here.

The Crown of Thorns

Jesus hung on a cross

before His mother's eyes,

crowned with thorns.

His people would not own Him King.

He Who was the worlds' Light

for the world would die. 

They wanted Him to die

so they hung Him on a cross--

they could not see the light.

In the woman's eyes

this man was her King.

Yet His crown was of thorns!

What a crown of thorns! 

For His people He would die.

Soldiers mocked the King.

Jesus hung on the cross, 

forgiveness in His eyes

shining like a light.

In the dimming light, 

heart pierced as with thorns,

tears overflowed Mary's eyes.

Why must He die?

Why on a cross?

Was He not the King?

The dying of the King 

caused the vanishing of the light,

as if to hide the cross

and the crown of thorns.

Knowing He would die, 

the King lifted His eyes.

Jesus lifted His eyes.

The suffering King

looked upward to die

in the absence of light.

He still wore the thorns,

but the end was not the cross. 

The cross riveted Mary's eyes.

The crown of thorns upon the King

seemed enveloped in light as He died.

It would have been tragic if the story ended with Jesus' death. Jesus gave His life for us. Sin could be defeated, but what happens after that? Thankfully, Jesus rose again! And because He rose, we can live a new life.

 I wish I could tell you how exciting this is to me. No matter what others say or do, no matter what trials we go through, Jesus is enough! I've heard people say we should love God just because He is God. I've heard people say we should love God just for who He is, not what He does. That is true. But in my mind, Jesus going to the cross is the biggest reason we should love God. It wasn't just what God did. What God did in sending Jesus was a result of Who God is. God is loving. God is good. Because of Jesus, I was given a chance to have my life completely transformed. It's because of God's love that I can love at all.

       Like I said, sometimes it is hard for me to grasp just how much I mean to God. But as I have looked at Jesus' death and resurrection, it becomes a little more clear.

Dear Jesus,
    Thank You that You are enough. Thank You that I am worth so much to You that You gave Your life for me. Thank You that I can live because You live. Thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to remember that You are enough, and to live like it. Thank you Jesus, for life. Amen.