A #teatime celebration of TWO “Do not be anxious” adventures!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

BACKPACKING ADVENTURE
For the last few years, my husband has been backpacking/hiking sections of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail in New Mexico. I’ve been his “trail angel” dropping him off and picking him up at trailheads. Recently, we decided to do a 37-mile stretch together across some dry desert areas. Since I hadn’t backpacked this distance in over 25 years, I was a bit anxious!

THE CHALLENGES:

We needed to carry everything we needed for four days…food, clothing, sleeping gear. And with only one water source at the halfway point, we had to carry all the water we required for two days….and water is heavy! My pack weighed about 20 pounds. There is no cell service and no convenience stores along the way. So I was a bit concerned. What if I guzzled all the water the first day? What if I didn’t bring enough food? What if the weather turned cold? What if we got injured? So many “what ifs” came to mind. (As a writer, I think of “what ifs” all the time for my stories, but real life “what ifs” are a different matter.)

Fortunately my husband (the engineer) has experienced many trails and researches the best methods for backpacking. We have lightweight gear and bring a Garmin GPS device in case of emergencies.

ON TO THE EXPERIENCE!

The high desert of New Mexico is a different type of beautiful. We walked among grasslands, wild flowers and piñon/ponderosa forests, sometimes during rain showers. A rainbow was a special sight, as was an elk running ahead of us. Mountains and mesas were always on the horizon and bird songs filled the air.

CAMPING ALONG THE TRAIL

Nights were quiet, except for the occasional jet to remind us civilization was still out there. Along the trail, we met about thirty “through hikers” ….those planning to do the complete Continental Divide Trail…..all 3,100 miles….from Mexico to Canada, this season. The camaraderie with the fellow hikers was fun, everyone checking on the welfare of each other and sharing trail information…..like how far away was the spring, the only reliable water source for a couple of days.

WATER!

And after miles…and miles….of dry desert, finally seeing the sign for Los Indios Spring was a relief! When we arrived at the rim of the deep canyon, others suggested leaving our packs at the top, only taking our water bottles down the rigorous trail to the spring. Descending into the canyon, the environment changed to greener plants and more shade.

DESCENT TO THE SPRING!

Arriving at the long awaited spring, the sound of water flowing from a pipe into the concrete tank was so peaceful. My husband filtered the clear, cold water to fill all our bottles.

THANKFUL FOR CLEAR, COOL WATER!

Then we headed back up the steep trail, refreshed….and relieved…..to have water again for the rest of our trip. So after being anxious about what the experience would hold, we ended our adventure successfully….hiking 37 miles in only three days while being immersed in God’s amazing creation.

ANNOUNCING ANOTHER REASON TO CELEBRATE!

EL RANCHO HOTEL LOBBY

On our way to our backpacking trailhead, we stopped for dinner at El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. This is one of the hotels featured in my short story, Turquoise Remembrance, which won the Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest many years ago. When I decided to self-publish this story, there was some anxiety. Could I figure out the program to upload an ebook? Could I design an acceptable cover? How many errors would I miss? (One, so far.)

With appreciation to many people who encouraged me along the way, I am now an Amazon self-published author with my tiny book. Another “do not be anxious” adventure completed…..with hopefully more books in my future as I trust in Him to guide my writing journey.

MY LITTLE BOOK: TURQUOISE REMEMBRANCE

TEATIME TREATS ON THE TRAIL

Please take time for a teatime treat as we would have during our hiking rest breaks…..snack bars, nuts, dried fruit and WATER!

Thank you for going along with me on my adventures!
What “do not be anxious” moments have you experienced? What kept you going? Please leave your comment below.

With blessings and prayers,

Sherida

*Comments are appreciated and will appear after moderation. I apologize for delays in posting.