Today marks 14 years of marriage for Justin and me. We decided to celebrate this anniversary by doing something we've both done before but never together. We decided to go backpacking. Because nothing says "I love you" more than strapping 40 pounds of beef jerky and camping gear on your back so you can get sweaty and dirty together while climbing mountains and attempting to avoid getting eaten by bears coming out of hibernation. I have no doubt that we will receive a call from Hallmark soon.
We planned to hike the first part of the Appalachian Trail, so we loaded up all our gear and drove to Georgia to meet my parents, who happily volunteered to keep the girls so we could disappear into the wilderness for a few days. We carefully mapped out a 31-mile trek starting from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and we knew where we would camp and replenish our water supply each day. My dad treated us to a hearty breakfast early Monday morning and dropped us off close to the trailhead with the hopes of picking us up three days later at Neel Gap. Plans are funny sometimes.
Our hike began wonderfully. (It’s not important to talk about the fact that I forgot my hiking shoes and had no choice but to hike in my Merrell barefoot shoes.) The parking lot where my dad took us was about a mile from the start of the AT, so we did a quick out and back without our packs. It was a good warmup to start our trip. There is a beautiful view at the terminus! We took a quick picture and enjoyed glancing at the logbook signed by everyone planning to hike the entire 2,190-mile trail from Georgia to Maine. Three pages worth of names were filled out the day before we began our little adventure. I hope they all fared much better than we did!
After our out and back to and from the terminus, we strapped on our packs and set out on what we thought would be a 3-day journey. We cheerfully followed the white blazes that mark the well-worn trail up and down hills, over creeks, and through tunnels of mountain laurel. I absolutely love mountain streams, and I was thrilled to hear the gentle sound of peacefully flowing water during our first several miles. At one point we veered slightly off the trail to see a majestic waterfall. That side trip did not disappoint!
We found a good spot to eat a simple lunch and topped off our water supply by filtering some cold water from a stream. Soon after those two breaks, the trail became much more strenuous. In hindsight, we probably should not have tried to go so far on the first day, but we covered 12.5 miles before setting up camp on top of Sassafras Mountain. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the temperature was dropping rapidly while the wind speeds were picking up greatly. Not a good combination!
We built a fire to keep warm and prepared a hot dinner on our tiny camp stove. I was thankful that I made a last minute decision to bring hot chocolate because it was getting really cold outside.
Right before the sun went down, we found a spot down the trail to hang our food bags so hungry bears wouldn’t come into our tent during the night. (As you’ll soon discover, I highly doubt any bears were a reasonable threat that night.) Even though it wasn’t very late, we entered our tent to escape the wind and read until we felt tired. While the tent deflected most of the wind, it was impossible to eliminate a draft. Before long the temperature was close to 20 degrees with sustained 30 mile per hour winds. I put on four layers of clothing, along with gloves and a snow hat, and tucked myself - including my head - deep into my sleeping bag. Staying warm was preferable to breathing oxygen that night. It was a sleepless night of shivering and listening to winds that sounded like jet engines.
The weather had not improved by sunrise, and the cold winds were forecasted to last until noon. Better weather was not expected the following night, so we made the humbling decision to call for rescue. We packed everything up with frozen hands and hiked to the nearest access road where my dad picked us up. Finding hot coffee was our top priority!
While we certainly wimped out on our hiking adventure, our weakness was rewarded with luxury at my parents’ campground for the next couple of days. We enjoyed quality family time, excellent food, massage chairs, and relaxation time by the creek at the beautiful Crossing Creeks RV Resort & Spa in Blairsville, GA.
As I reflect on our little adventure, I’m reminded that although our plans do not always come to fruition, nothing takes God by surprise. He is in control of all things, and he sovereignly arranges everything according to his plan. The work of his sovereign hand was clear almost fifteen years ago when he brought Justin and me together. God led my parents to a small country church in middle Georgia where Justin was serving as pastor, and I came home from college one weekend. Our story as a couple moved quickly from there, and here we are fourteen years of marriage, two kids, and two moves later.
Marriage is not for the faint of heart. It’s beautiful and it’s challenging and it’s full of laughter, tears, and everything in between. And it’s worth it. It’s a union that points to something much greater than the two of us, much greater than any two people. It’s a symbol of the grand love story between Christ and his bride, the church. I’m grateful to have a small glimpse of what that means through my earthly marriage to Justin.
Happy Anniversary, Justin! I hope to have many more adventures with you!
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