Grayson Highlands

I left Roanoke about 8:30 this morning to continue my journey.  I loved the ride down I81 as much as I loved going up.  After taking the windy road to the Grayson Highlands State Park, I stopped at the Ranger Station to find out where the trail I wanted to go on started and got a map.  This would be critical later in the story! 

My intent was to hike to the Wilburn Ridge as this had gotten great reviews on the web sites I had reviewed before the trip.  When I got to the parking area on the side of the road it was about 11;30 and I wasn't ready to eat lunch yet.  I made a sandwich, packed some chips and water and was ready to roll. 

As it would happen, I met a young guy (30's), J, from Roanoke who was there for a hike up to Mount Rogers.  The way it looked on the elementary map we were going in the same direction and then he would veer off to a portion of the Appalachian trail that headed up to Mount Rogers.  So off we went.  As we set out the trail was well marked but the further we went the markings were no longer apparent.  But we could see where others had gone the way we were walking so we kept on.  Well the  beaten path became less and less beaten and more and more difficult to climb.  J kindly waited on me as I huffed and puffed, was drenched with sweat and had to stop from time to time, hands on knees, struggling.  Additionally I kept wondering how in the world I was ever going to find and negotiate my way back down this steep "trail".  We finally hit some more level ground and saw a post up ahead.  A trail marker!  Wrong again, this was one of many posts that had barbed wire between them!  Oh great, so we reached the end of the park and got to someone's private land.  J found a place in the barbed wire fence that had been breached previously so we scooted under it and kept walking.  It wasn't long before we saw some of the beautiful vistas that I had read about and shortly thereafter we saw the wild horses, just as advertised.  After taking some pictures we went through a gate and saw signs to Mount Rogers and Rhododendron Trail, the trail that was supposed to take me back to the car.  So J and I parted ways after I thanked him profusely for helping this old man and not abandoning me!

Off I went on this clearly marked trail that said Rhododendron Trail 2 miles.  I thought, that's not bad, the trail was fairly wide and level and seemed to correspond with my handy, dandy map.  After going about a half mile I decided I was ready to eat, so I found a nice rock with a gorgeous view and enjoyed my lunch.  Afterwards, overwhelmed by the beauty around me, I pulled out my bible and looked for the verse that says that God's existence is evident even to those who have not heard the gospel because of the magnificence of His creation.  I found it in Romans 1:20 " For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (emphasis mine) Thank you Bible Study Fellowship!   After some time of prayer and reflection and some time of tears, thinking how Debbie would love to see this (if she were flown up in a helicopter!)

I continued on my well demarcated trail until it wasn't.  I had gone about a mile and a half and the trail just disappeared!  So I went back to where J had taken off and kept looking at the signs.  It seemed like I must have been going in the right direction but obviously I wasn't.  Fortunately I had two critical things going for me: cell service and my MAP that had the guard station's phone number on it!  So being non-male-like, I called and asked directions.  Well, the park ranger on the phone pointed out the huge sign showing this wide trail that led back to the parking area that was only a mile away, down an easy slope. 

As I walked I began to think about how this experience was a microcosm of life.  We take off trying to find our way using an indistinct, manmade map and we get lost, not once, but time and time again.  And all the while we have the cellphone service (prayer) to ask the Park Ranger (God), Who has a much wider perspective of the terrain that we are trying to negotiate.  Once we humble ourselves enough to ask, the path we need to follow is right in front of us and it's much more easily traversed than the one we followed when we tried in our own power.  This is not a huge revelation but I need to be reminded of it and keep it in the forefront of my mind.  This is pretty much what this whole journey is about.

Lord, I pray that You will keep reminding me (and anyone else who needs reminding...in case there are others besides me) that You are THE way, THE truth and THE life (John 14:6, emphasis mine).  Remind me to come to you sooner rather than later, or even first.  Give me and my brothers and sisters in Christ the discernment to hear Your voice and hear it clearly so that we don't get lost trying to find our way with our lousy manmade maps and misinterpretations.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Finally made it to the meadow

Not so wild horses

One of the many gorgeous vistas

Other animals, not pictured turkey and bunny I saw



Cute pony

Table for one

Lunch is served

View while eating lunch

Way pregnant horse!

The sign I missed on the way up

My little cabin Rudy's Rest

Amen


Sleeping quarters for tonight