So what do YOU want to do for YOUR 40th birthday? I thought I'd had a great idea when I decided to do 40 things I'd never done before, but Di's idea is the BEST--she wants to hike the 40 miles of Appalachian Trail that are in our state of MD!
Di is one of God's provisions for me...she is a sister, one of my life's dearest gifts, and she "gets me." It is a most comfortable friendship, but also one that encourages, stretches, and pushes me to be in love with Jesus and a student of His word. Her influence and inspiration has helped make me who I am.
So on Di's 40th birthday, August 28th, it was the BEST thing to be able to join her on the first "training hike" for the epic 40 miles to come. The hope was to do 10 miles with 30 pound packs, and we probably did 9 miles (the trail wasn't really easy to find in a few spots), although our packs were likely heavy enough. I'd tossed my heaviest hardcover Bible in mine, along with huge, full water bottles and some gear. Di's bag had nearly a six pack of Diet Coke, bricks, and food. (You can see us eating the celebratory walnut cake--she'd made it herself, as she does most things, and it was DELICIOUS--love that about her.)
A couple miles in, Di stopped suddenly and said, "I think my pack is leaking." She turned around and her backside was completely soaked--a Diet Coke had burst on the trail--and in perfect Di-style she just pulled out the offending can, picked through the rest of the stuff (see her pack in the picture), and just kept going in spite of the fact that the Coke just kept seeping through her pants for the rest of the hike.
It didn't matter, really, because it started to rain. It rained and rained and we just got gloriously soaked. Our boots sloshed on the trail as we hoofed it back to the car, delighted with one another's company and the thrill of pushing ourselves to do something a little challenging with another person who was enjoying it just as much.
More posts will come as we continue to train--Di's done the research and the hike is scheduled for the first weekend of October. Happy birthday, Di, and thank you for sharing yourself with so many people...and that HIKE with me!
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