Hiking Trip

Well guys,
We just got back from a major Hiking Trip, 7.7 miles into the Tetons. I know for some people that isn't a long hike, but for me it was never ending; I loved it. We spent a total of 5 days in the woods, and all five included hiking. The first day we hiked in 2 miles and set up camp for the night. The girls were carrying packs weighing from 30-45 lbs and the guys weighed in at 60-80, with the staff carrying close to 100 lbs. The weather was pretty good, 70s during the day but down to the low 30s at night. We really got to see how well our sleeping bags worked! Every morning there was a race to the fire so we could all get warm.
Day 2 saw us hiking the next 5.7 miles to our final campsite, all of it was uphill (some argue that it wasn't all uphill, but I don't think you can count the little dips in the path as going down hill.) We hiked up some switchbacks and then across the face of a mountain. The view was amazing! It looked like something you'd see in a movie or on a postcard. I kept having to remind myself that I was really seeing it. We have some beautiful pictures that I want to post, unfortunately right before we hit the switch backs on Day 2 I dropped my camera in some water. It's pretty much shot now so I have to get another one. Oh, well, there were many other photographers on the trip that I can get some pics from, so don't worry, you'll eventually get to see some.
Well anyway, we hiked all the way to camp that day. It got to the point where you no longer thought about how tired you were, you just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Most of time we looked at the feet of the person in front of us, put our heads down, and prayed. I talked to several of the other students and they all say that it was God who gave them the strength to make it up that mountain and I agree. We went through every Bible verse we had ever memorized, ever praise song we could think of, and then we just prayed for strength to make it up; and we did. We all made it and God will receive all the Glory.
When we made it to the camp there was about 2 inches of snow on the ground and even though we were so tired we started setting up camp. We all pitched in, got all the tents up, and lit a roaring fire. We then cooked dinner, though I can't remember what it was...hmmm...oh well. That night someone pulled out a hymnal they had packed up the mountain and we all sang. It was the coolest thing I had ever heard. Everyone of us dog tired but praising God in the middle of his creation. We sang for at least an hour before everyone headed to bed.
Day 3 we woke up and had a breakfast of pancakes and summer sausage (they brought so much sausage!!!!). We were then told that those who wanted could go on a hike up to Little's Peak. There were quite a few who went, however I stayed at camp and spent time with everyone else who wanted a break. We played games and took a bath in the lake. Oh my gosh, the lake...it was so cold (35 deg.). I was going to wade in and wash my hair but it was so cold that I decided to just stand on the bank and pour water on my head instead. Some of the girls did go in with swimsuits and everything. Me and another girl sat on the bank and laughed at them as they took their 30 sec. baths. It was so funny, but not as funny as listening to the boys on the other side of the ridge. We heard them jump into the water and their screams of shock. We all laughed, they made more noise than us girls did! We did all feel better after getting to clean up at least a little bit. (We did boil some water and sponge bathe with that.) The hikers returned from Little's Peak around dinner time. We had seen them walking up the side of the mountain earlier and they said they had waved at us in the camp from the top. That night we fellow shipped around the fire again. It was an awesome night, we even had some song requests for songs that weren't in the hymnal. We just sang praise to God at the top of our lungs, any song we could remember the words to and even some we couldn't.
Day 4 was the day we were supposed to move camp but the place we would have gone was snowed in. So we all let a sigh of relief escape as we set to our daily jobs. We did hike up there and do some repelling though. That night we watched the sunset from our lookout at the camp. We watched as the sun went behind the mountains in Idaho. Again that night we gathered around the fire for an hour spent with God. Afterward this time, we didn't go to bed when we were done. Instead we joined hands around the two fires and prayed. We brought our request to God for a safe trip home, for a warm night, and for the protection of our persecuted Brothers and Sisters in Christ overseas. We prayed 'till the fires died and even past that. Some of us were shaking by the time we were done, but none of us regretted it. That night the temperature went from the low 30s to the 40s and everyone was warm and cozy.
Day 5 started with a prayer to God as we started our trip home. We made excellent time (it was all down hill, yay!) and reached the switchbacks before lunch. We did have one complication. Our wonderful girls' RA, Jen, somehow hurt her knee. We took her pack and put her at the front of the line so the way would be easier. We all applauded and cheered her on as she limped to the front of the line assisted by two trekking poles and her husband Kenton. We were sorry she was hurt but glad for the break! Once everyone was situated we headed off again. At the bottom of the mountain we split into two groups. One group stayed back with Jen so she could take her time and the rest continued on to the trail head.
I forgot to tell you but on Day 2 before we got to the switchbacks, we sang as we hiked. It was hilarious. We sang praise songs but I think that we sang Disney songs more. Everything from Pocahontas to Mulan, from Beauty and the Beast to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron; I think the favorite was "A Girl Worth Fighting For" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. It had a great beat and we loved belting it out as our feet plodded along. I can't figure out if we know all these songs because we have to many siblings or because we watched the movies to many times when we were young. Well whichever it is, we sang them all. We did the same thing on the trip back, but instead of just singing to break the monotony we were singing to push ourselves forward. Again we began to just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. To take their minds from the hike some of the kids started telling riddles and it gave us all something to think about besides our aching feet and ankles. We passed our first campsite with stopping, and we all felt a little better because we only had 2 more miles to go. About 5 miles later...just kidding, but that's what it felt like...some girl started to sing Bilbo's song from The Hobbit, "The road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began/ how far ahead the road has gone/ and I must follow if I can/pursuing it with eager feet until it joins some longer way/and wither then I cannot say." We all giggled. At every bend in the path we were straining to see through the trees trying to catch a glimpse of the bus. At one point we had some trouble with some cattle. One of the guys pulled out the bear mace and stood by the side of the path while us girls filed past. We could hear the cattle in the long grass and trees running alongside us. There were a few times we were almost charged by a couple of cows, and there was a bull that gave us quite a start but we all made it out. Everyone cheered when we rounded a bend in the path and saw the bus. Along with the bus came the faces of people from the college that we had missed while out in the woods. Hugs were exchanged, high fives, and smiles of relief as we dumped off the heavy packs. A cooler was brought out from one of the cars with coke and water in it and then two boxes of M&Ms (peanut and regular). We all pulled up some ground, finished off our water bottles and then sipped the cokes and munched on the candy. Not to long later the group that had stayed behind with Jen rounded the corner. They were greeted with cheers and applause. After packing up all the gear and loading into the bus we all headed home. It was a great hiking trip that we all enjoyed, but we enjoyed getting home as well! We had a dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob then raced to the showers. Nothing will make you appreciate a hot shower more than a cold lake! We all kept yelling out things that we were thankful for like, "Look guys, food with no ash in it.", "God bless the person who invented shampoo", and "Look we have napkins, and a table, and chairs." We had a great time!
One thing I was amazed of though was what everyone was thinking of while trekking up and down the mountain. We were all reminded of the story of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress. We all found ourselves contemplating every rock, root, and bridge we crossed, as an obstacle in out Christian walk that had to be overcome. We began to look at our own lives and see what obstacles we thought were huge and how God would get us through them if we would just pick up our foot so he could move us.
The next day we were all so sore we could barely walk, but none of us would trade that experience for anything in the world.