Yes, it was my fault. I completely missed the turnoff to Red Pine Lake. We had some friends who hiked to Red Pine the week before and said it was long but they had two little ones with them and it took them 4 hours up. About 3/4 the way up we really hit some steep trail and I thought I had a new found respect for these friends who don't come across as rough and rugged hikers. It was steep and luckily we had very light backpacks. Mine was only 18 lbs. The one I took with the boys was 45 lbs. just 2 weeks earlier. I heard Matt had a 55 lb. pack just for himself for 2 nights. I was trying to figure my bearings on the GPS and it was pointing to Red Pine straight over the 1000 foot cliff to the west of White Pine. We made it to White Pine around dark. We camped there and decided to try to get to Red Pine in the morning. The stars were out but not a brilliantly due to a haze in the air - maybe from the fires across the valley. Ad and I played Gin Rummy for an hour or so and called it a night. By the way - trust Aleve, I do. Doesn't that sound like a good advertisement for it. I think I could backpack each weekend with Adrianne. Even though we were only 8.125 miles from our home (as the crow flies), we were in a completely different world and circumstance. No kids, no other people, no commitments, no worldly worries at all. I pondered about the purpose of this life being the deep thinker that I am. Is life all about just feeding our selfish desires and just trying to accomplish that next great thing? - is it about the next awesome adventure I'll go on next? Sure we should enjoy our mortal existence, especially the wonders on this God-created world, but at what priority? I think as one ages, the priorities in this life become more clear. I know of very few teenagers who actually get what this life is about - and those usually are very successful at an early age. But I also know many 30 somethings who are stuck in the prioritization of life. To me, God is at the top, always and forever. And what does that mean. Many say that - I say that, but each must define what having God as the most important priority means - to them. No one else can do it for you. I've found that moving back to Utah, this definition is very skewed. There is way too much gray here for so many people who have been taught the truth of God and Jesus and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. To much gray! Yet on the other hand, I think there are more people who live in this great state who understand the "God as #1" definition better than any place on earth. Happily I say that I recognize the good in people much more than the distrust. I think this is what makes me a better driver on the road - but that is a different topic altogether (Why people drive the way they do or You are how you drive). It all boils down to, Am I doing all I can to ensure that God stays first on any priority list I have? It is a constant struggle but I think I'm slowly getting there. I have an eternal companion for a reason. Adrianne is a calming agent yet also a driver in my life. I never grow tired of her companionship. How vital she is to my very existence. God has blessed me with her for a reason. Our blog title "Lichen to Rock" has several meanings to us. One is that we are each other's Rock, we build on each other by remembering who our number one priority is in life which in turn enables us to work together toward eternal life - a most precious gift made possible by our Savior. Those were my thoughts as I sat looking at the vastness of space.
We ended up making a run and Red Pine but really didn't want to have to scale the cliff or more boulders. I thought, how cool would it be to be a Pika and live in the boulders. What a playground. We packed up an began to see the first of the morning hikers who made it to White Pine. We past many on the way down, including some who I know wouldn't make it to the top. 2 hours 15 minutes up and 2 hours 10 minutes down - we really cruised up the mountain. Any who - hope you enjoyed that log about our 13th anniversary trip. Steve
