I got to spend a weekend backpacking in the mountains with my little brother. It was VERY eventful, and not quite what we had in mind... but ended up being better than what we had originally planned. God has a funny way of doing things like that in our lives; allowing us to plan what we think is best for us, then derailing that idea and making it ten times better.
Our plan was to backpack two nights in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but when we arrived, there were no spots left. Initially, we were a little disheartened, but quickly found a solution. I am very proud of the both of us for not letting that set the precedent for the rest of the trip.
We spent the first day hiking in McKittrick Canyon, and it was BEAUTIFUL. That night, we found a free campground near the park, which was quite interesting. We pulled up to a gravel parking lot... and that's all it was. With only having tents, and no sleeping pads, we proceeded to hop the fence and sleep on the dirt rather than the rocks.
The next day we got up at the butt crack of dawn to head back to the park in hopes of finding a primitive campsite. Thankfully, we got the last one.
We hiked a four mile trail before going up to our spot on the mountain, that ended up being a bit of a mistake due to how difficult the trail was... I have done a lot of hiking, but that is hands down the hardest trail I have ever done (granted, I was carrying about fifty pounds).
I had to stop several times, and felt bad for slowing Micah down. However I am SO PROUD of how hard he pushed himself, and for believing in me. Every time it was getting tough, he was there to help me push through. Micah has always done this for me whether he realized it or not. Even though he's my little brother, I so much look up to him. He has always pushed me to be a better person, go the extra mile (quite literally in this case), and what it means to love through action. Micah may not be the most vocal at expressing his love, but his actions show it clear as day.
I am very thankful for the time I got to spend with my little brother and all the laughs we shared.
The closest I feel to our maker is in His creation. I was able to live out my Jesus loving granola girl dream, doing my quiet time on a mountain. Not to mention the many prayers I said to myself going up the trail (mainly because I was STRUGGLING). I think it is so cool to look at all of the beautiful things He has created, and see His character in all of it. The mountains showing his great authority over us, the rivers showing His overflowing grace, and the flowers showing how he can take something so small, insignificant, and dull; and turn it into something big, purposeful, and beautiful. He makes us new! I will forever be in awe of His creation.