This past weekend Me and some of my brothers went to Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina and camped in the wilderness. Removing every buffer put in place by our contemporary society to experience the fullness of God's creation.
The first night we stayed on top of Black Balsam. I like to think of it as the night where the boys became men, not physically but relationally. We encountered rain, wind (around 30 mph), fog so dense you could only see 10 to 20 feet away from you, and cold that chilled to the core of your being. The second day we went to a lower elevation at Pickleheimer Fields, where we meet Jake the three-legged dog, had 20 pounds of meat for dinner, and a much needed rest. The third day most of the group left, leaving four of us. The remaining four hiked to a mountain near Ivestor Gap, more than likely we were on Tennet Mountain, and set up camp in a patch of trees near the top. And the rest of the day we roamed the other side of the mountain spending most of it in silence, humbled by God's presence and His creation. We made a fire that night that we were very proud of, considering the 20 to 30 mph winds. It rained that night, however we were well prepared. We awoke to a blanket of fog so thick that it felt as if you could take some home to show your friends. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't see the surrounding mountains, but just as we were packing up and getting ready to hike back, the fog started to clear like a wave retreating from the shore and the sun pierced the country side. We hiked back to the car with the sun on our backs and the valley to our right and a towering mountain looming over our left shoulder. Our trip out of the mountains was completed by a Nickel Creek mix by a good friend.
The first photo is some of us on Black Balsam the morning after a sleepless night, the second picture was taken on the path from Black Balsam, and the third Photo is our view from our last campsite.
God is good, love, just, humble, eternal, and sustaining.
