The Immeasurable Sum of a Summit

Saturday proved to be one of the most fantastic days to date up here so far. I had the sweet chance to hike Twin Sisters in Estes Park with great company and the most incredible views. To say that the journey was a good time would be an understatement. I limped away feeling satisfied, accomplished, joyful, exhausted and FULL with the peace that only Jesus can give.

Kali and I joined Leo Glass and a friend of his Andrew for the 7 mi. round trip journey. We were thankful for the guys that prepared a little better than we did! They brought gallons of water and extra food that we did not even think about! We had our nalgens but wernt prepared for the amount of water we consumed on that trip. About 30 mins in, a game warden came by on her horse to notify us that a wildfire had started in Estes Park and that the area was being evacuated. Hugely disappointed we set out back DOWN the trail to the car. As we walked however, we saw more people continuing up. They said that the game warden let them know but did not say that they had to come down so we decided to turn around once again and complete the trek we set out to do. We did not have problems with smoke and could not even see the fire really until we got near the top. It was a fairly good distance from where we were.

This is one of our training hikes to prepare to do the famous Longs Peak fourteener by the end of the summer. So far the altitude hasnt been too much of a problem but I did sound a little bit like Weezy from Toy Story 2 at one point on hike.. lol.

Once we got to the top, Kali and I found a couple side cliffs to play on. We love the challenge and having to use all fours. It feels good to really feel like we are scaling a mountain.

Some of my greatest moments in my relationship with God have been on top of mountains like Twin Sisters. I feel so close to Him. Its like He's drawing me into His arms and giving me a big hug and saying, "I love you Amber. Look at what I've made for you to enjoy." All the mountains point to Him and proclaim his mighty power. It is in these times that I feel so small but in the best way. I realize how significant my God is and how little my problems really are.

Going back down the mountain. NOT Kali's or my own favorite part. At this point I am starting to feel tired and no longer look forward to the peak to summit. The hike back just feels SO long. I also have to concentrate a little more going down so as to not jam my toes too much or slip on loose rocks. Its still great to enjoy the scenery, but its just not my idea of the best part of the hike. However, it does teach me about how though finishing a task that the Lord has set before me to completion is so challenging and even uneventful at times but it is necessary as God uses faithfulness and perseverance.

Leo and Andrew were troopers! We enjoyed hiking with them and had some great conversations about Colorado, life, Christ, and everything in between :) This was a day for the books.