“Life’s an adventure.” This is a phrase I’ve frequented and in fact, many friends and family would probably suggest that this is my current life motto. It’s become pretty common for a phone call with a friend to include the question of “So where are you now?” Its a beautiful thing really – the adventure of life. Sometimes the best adventures seem to be unplanned, unexpected, and perhaps even unimaginable.
I was with Kailey and her friends at the brewery just a week after arriving to Flagstaff when they were helping me form that ever growing to-do list of local suggestions. One of the girls mentioned that I would have to hike to a place called Havasupai next time I came to the area, explaining that reservations for the year sell out in February. One of the other girls briefly mentioned a new transfer and cancellation page on the website that will post last minute tickets available for purchase and then the conversation carried on through some other recommendations.
That night I went home and began to google some of the suggestions on my list, including the Havasupai transfer page. To my surprise, there were a few tickets available, but none of them fit my nursing schedule and it was pretty obvious that my chances were low. It wasn’t likely that this four-day trip would fall perfectly into my work schedule, which had already been set through mid-November. I concluded that this opportunity wasn’t relevant to my three month stent in Flagstaff, so I didn’t bother wasting any time researching the details and looked into the many other options that I had written down.
Two days later, after a gorgeous hike in nearby Sedona, I returned home and had an itch to check the transfer page out of pure curiosity. A few more options had posted and with my planner in hand, I realized that one four day stretch fit perfectly into my schedule (oh the beauty of nursing schedules). Without the immediate intention to make a purchase, I clicked the link in search of more details.
A two minute timer started counting down.
I had two minutes to purchase these tickets or they’d become available to the world again, and no, the details I was searching for, such as what exactly this hike involved, were not there. I knew nothing about this hike besides that it had been suggested by Kailey’s friend and described as “really cool.” Great, I was now down to a minute and forty five seconds. I quickly thought through the logistics of going on the trip. It’d surely be an adventure. I’d have lots of time to journal, read, study scripture, and be alone with God. I could meet a lot of new people. It sounded right up my alley. In addition to being clueless about the trip, I would also have to purchase both available tickets – not just one. I quickly texted the three people I had forced into friendship that previous week, for some reason thinking at least one of them would text me back in less than a minute with a confirmation that they were able and willing to go on this last-minute adventure with me. Logical, right? Absolutely not. More like ridiculous. Needless to say, I didn’t get a text back within the remaining thirty seconds after hitting send. As the timer neared zero seconds, I became the new winner of not one, but two tickets to the unknowns of Havasupai.
My adrenaline carried me through the emotions of both excitement and shock, but began to wear off when the reality of being 1. clueless and 2. friendless set in. Oh boy. I quickly called a far-away friend to confirm that my spur of the moment decision was valid, not that I would be able to take back the past five minutes if he had told me otherwise. I hung up the phone and decided that it was a good time to do a little research. It turned out that I had just signed up for a ten-mile hike into the canyon to a village within the Navajo reservation, home to a variety of waterfalls and river beds flowing with the most beautiful blue water as a result of the lime source. Oh, and I forgot to mention, my reservation was five days away.
I spent two of the next four days at work, one making a few purchases for the trip, and the day before leaving hiking in a different canyon with some new friends. One of those friends has had ample experience as a backpacking guide, so he helped me narrow down what to take and pack my bag. Needless the say, the time passed quickly, but I was as prepared as I was going to be and found myself sleeping at the trailhead that night, ready to start the hike into the Canyon when the trail opened at 5am. As the five days leading up to the trip came and went, I realized what an amazing opportunity God had given me and how perfectly He had woven the details yet again. What were the chances that a four-day stretch perfectly fit my schedule, was available, and that I was nearby enough in my new location to drive to the trailhead. Not to mention that the option to transfer tickets was brand new as of this year and that Kailey’s friend felt the need to even mention the trip in the first place! My excitement grew in simply knowing that this was yet another adventure planned by the One who knows my heart best.
By a few minutes past 5am, I had begun my descent into the Canyon, the only lights in view being the street lights of the parking lot, the headlamps of fellow hikers in various spots along the switchbacks, and the fading night stars. As the sun rose and my surroundings were illuminated, I was in complete awe. The depth of the canyon, the vibrant colors of the red rock on the blue sky, and the fresh air so quick to heat up with the morning sun. It actually reminded me much of my walk with Christ.
As the sky began to light the canyon I was amazed by my surroundings.It reminded me of how God opens your eyes to him in the middle of your darkness – you begin to see him, you begin to understand what’s happened in your past, you have a better understanding and appreciation for everything he has surrounded you with, and you begin to look forward to what’s next. The further you walk with him, the more he reveals, the more light shines unveiling mysteries all around. The hike wasn’t always easy, just as our walk on earth won’t always be easy, but we push on, knowing that there’s something worth fighting for in the end.
Journal Entry – September 22, 2019
After the ten-mile hike into the Canyon, and a quick stop in the village to check in, I headed for the campground to locate my spot for the next few days. Camping spots are kind of like wedding dresses; you know the right one as soon as you see it…or at least that’s what they say. It wasn’t long before I found a spot on a little island right along the river. As I looked around I realized that two trees were perfectly spaced for a hammock, there was a flat area for my tent, there was a spot to hang my rat-sack over the water, it had a wooden table and a bench, and best of all, there was a little rope swing out over the water. It was unquestionably the perfect spot for me. I took my time setting up camp exactly as I had envisioned it. Once everything was in its spot, I have to admit, a little wave of pride came over me. I actually did it, I thought. I hiked the ten miles to camp, found the perfect spot, and successfully set up camp all by myself.
Flash back: A little more than a year ago I had gone on my first “backpacking trip” with a group of friends in North Carolina. Let’s just say that when we checked in at the ranger’s station, the workers showed some concern for our lack of preparation…rightly so. We didn’t have backpacking equipment or a water source. We purchased a rope in their little shop to hang our trash in a tree. We packed hotdogs and some cans of beans, forgetting the stuff to make a fire in our car as well as the can opener. I’ll let you fill in the details of this trip with your imagination. Fast forward one year and I was successfully backpacking on my own. A few weeks later this thought brought me to another realization:
We were so unequipped, so unprepared. As I look at the things you have set before me in the past year and a half, I reflect and remember that I was once unequipped and unprepared. You have equipped me for everything you call me to, just as I can now go backpacking, equipped with everything I need for that specific trip. Circumstances in backpacking will change – the critters, the terrain, the weather…and as those changes come to the surface, I will change how I prepare. I will be differently equipped. My walk with you is like this. You have prepared and equipped me for this journey in my grand adventure.
Journal entry – October 1st, 2019
God had begun equipping me for this adventure into the canyon far before my move to Arizona, just as He has equipped and shaped me for each phase of my journey as I walk with Him. As I looked around my campsite with the pride of “Look what I did”, I stepped back to realize where He had brought me and how perfectly He had prepared me to do so.
