PCT 2014: P-LO

Showing posts with label P-LO. Show all posts

Late To The Party

Even if you are old, you must plant. Just as you found trees planted by others, you must plant them for your children. Midrash Tanchuma (4th to 5th centuries)

For the first time in my life I know what I want. I have a voice and have something to say. I am ready to take a risk, make a difference, be a man. I know that sounds strange coming from someone 51 years old who has graduated from college, attended graduate school, worked full time for 30 years, been married for almost as long, has two grown children and mows his own lawns. Maybe I have overstated the situation a bit, but the truth is for years I have wanted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and never had the courage to do it until now. For years I have wanted to write something, but until now there was no evidence of it. I have something to say and I am prepared to risk being misunderstood to say it.

So it feels like I should hurry! I'm late and I have to make up for lost time! But I'm not going to do that. I am on God's time line and not mine. You are never too old and it's never too late to have a dream, set a goal, make plans then make it happen! Keep calm and dream BIG!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

While in Bakersfield, we drove by the hospital where I was born and found the house where my family lived until I was two and a half. We stopped and took a picture! We also visited an ice cream and candy store where my father would take me for ice cream. I had a hot fudge sundae that was amazing!

I don't remember living in Bakersfield, but I do remember where we moved next: Fullerton, CA. I remember my dad taking me and my brother to get slurpees at 7 Eleven in his Datsun pickup and then going to a park to play and feed the ducks. (I remember falling in the duck pond once and skinning my knee.) My father had a motorcycle and I remember him taking me for short rides when I was still small enough to sit on the gas tank and hold on to the handle bars. I also remember him discussing with my mother that he would like to teach me and my brother to ride a motorcycle. She was against the idea, but he bought a small lawnmower engine powered minibike and convinced her to try riding it, thinking that if she saw how easy, slow, and safe it was, she would let us ride it too. We were in the parking lot of the library and I remember my father showing my mother the throttle and the brake. She sat down on the minibike, then like magic, she was riding! It was very exciting right up to the moment she hit a metal parking pole filled with cement and broke her collar bone. I thought for sure that I would never get a chance to ride the minibike, but it wasn't long before I got my turn to learn to ride and soon both my brother and I had our own motorcycles to ride with my father.

While I can't explain it, visiting the first house where I lived and being reminded of some of my childhood memories seems to fit will as part of this journey I am on. It was a fun relaxing day with Eva and she will be taking me back to the Pacific Crest Trail tomorrow (Monday) morning where I left off.

Run For The Border

Yesterday was my last day at work and today Eva and I are driving to southern California so I can begin hiking tomorrow! I am so excited! I have been packed and ready to go for over a week! We have plans to connect with friends in the Fresno area before we reach our destination for the evening, about 40 miles from the border. Eva will drive me to the border early Thursday morning where we will take a few pictures and then I'll hit the trail! Now, if I can just focus on driving and keeping my excitement under control so I don't get a ticket for speeding. It will take us about 8 hours to drive to the border of Mexico from Modesto, but the return trip, hiking the PCT, will take approximately two months to cover the same distance. Walking isn't the most efficient mode of transportation, but it promises to be much more of an adventure.

“Walking is the only form of transportation in which a man proceeds erect - like a man - on his own legs, under his own power. There is immense satisfaction in that.” -Edward Abbey

Something Beautiful

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike." John Muir

I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters and my heart melts when I think about how much they mean to me. I have amazing parents and a brother who is so talented and I admire him
for his perseverance in life. I have been blessed in my career, my health, and my finances. I have so much for which to be thankful . The opportunity to hike the Pacific Crest Trail is another reason to say thank you to the wonderful people in my life and the God who has richly blessed me.

But I also set out on this adventure recognizing my need for renewal. There is a quote I like by George Barna: "What got you here won't get you where you need to go." It is a reminder that we are in constant need of growth, renewal and change. I look forward to the joy, strength and healing this adventure will bring as I play and pray my way to Canada.

Saying Good Bye

"I wish you well and so I take my leave,

I pray you know me when we meet again."

William Shakespeare

The last few days have been filled with excitement as the beginning of my PCT hike draws ever closer, and sadness as I say good bye to my coworkers and the friends I have made over the last six years. I know it's not "good bye forever", but at the same time, five months is a long time to be gone, no matter what the circumstances. It has been a joy and privilege to work with some of the most amazing people at The House Modesto, and I will miss them as I hike the PCT. It is times like this when I realize that I have not told them often enough how much I love and appreciate them, how much they have blessed me, encouraged me, and made me smile and laugh. There is no denying how hard we work, but we have also had lots of fun along the way and have seen so many people's lives touched by the power of God. It is a joy and a privilege to be part of something that is impacting the lives of people for eternity and building the Kingdom of God. To everyone I work with, thank you for your love and support. You blessed me on a daily basis and I will miss you. I hope you will check my blog on occasion to see how I am doing and keep me in your prayers while I am hiking. And don't forget about Eva...she is so amazing for allowing me to be away for five months. I look forward to seeing you all again after my PCT adventure. P-LO

I Know You

We know what we are, but not what we may be.

William Shakespeare

The other day someone said to me, "Loren, I know you". Isn't that what we all want? Someone to know us? Someone who knows our successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses, hopes and dreams, doubts and fears? Twelve step groups have a saying: "We are as sick as our secrets", and it is wonderful to have people in our lives who know us and accept us just the way we are. But there are also people who think they know us. People who have never spent time with us, shared a meal with us, or truly listened to us. They might have an opinion about us, but they don't really know us. When these people say, "I know you", it's easy to feel judged, pigeon holed, reduced to personality type, a job description, or a number.

But I have good news. There is someone who knows you: every thought, every word, every act, from beginning to end. Someone who knows you better than you know yourself, and loves you more than you can imagine. Brennan Manning describes the love of God this way: “I have been seized by the power of a great affection," and “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”

But it's even better than that! God doesn't just love you the way you are, He has a plan and purpose for life. He not only sees who you are but who you can be. In Christ, there is grace for the past, faith for today, and hope for the future. In Him, there is the promise of something better, something new, something only God can do. In Romans chapter five, after telling us that God showed His love for us by sending Jesus "while we were yet sinners," Paul goes even further:

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"

Just in case we didn't catch it the first time, Paul uses that phrase, "how much more" twice in the chapter to make sure we get the point: attempting to straighten out our own life is like beating a dead horse, but in Christ, we have life, abundant life, the life of a son or daughter with all the rights and privileges that brings. But don't take my word for it. You can read what Paul wrote yourself. So rejoice! You are a loved person becoming a loving person. You are a forgiven person becoming a forgiving person. And you are a reconciled person, being made into the righteousness of Christ. Sometimes through trials, but always with his power and grace.

What Time Is It?

We effectively became time-keepers, and then time-savers, and now time-servers with the invention of the clock. Lewis Mumford

The first mechanical clocks were made by monks who desired to structure their days to allow for more time to pray. (Isn't it interesting that today people often complain they don't have time to pray.) I hope to leave behind this slave mentality to the clock while I am hiking the PCT. The sun, moon and stars will be my watch and thirst, hunger, and bladder my alarm clock! I'm not planning on carrying a watch with me on the PCT. If I need to know exactly what time it is, I can use my phone, if the battery isn't dead...

Most of the daylight hours will be spent hiking with only brief stops for eating, filtering water, and taking pictures. In the desert, my schedule will probably be flip flopped; hiking at night and napping in the shade during the day.

For the next 5 months if you ask me what time it is, I'll probably tell you...It's time to hike!

Keep calm and hike on!

Motivational Quotes

I'm always looking for motivational quotes that challenge me to pursue my passion to hike, climb, and explore. Here is a great list of quotes and photos from another website. Enjoy! Adventure Quotes

Shameless Self Promotion!

Thank you for reading my website and blog. Now it's time for you to show me some love! Go ahead and make a comment or two on my blog posts. I wrote them just for you! Let me know you are reading, but remember what your mother told you: if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all. Blessings!

Time to Focus!

Two weeks to go! I'm focused at work to make a smooth transition when I leave. My "honey do list" at home is almost finished. My check list for the PCT only has a few items left. It's time to finish packing my resupply boxes for the first two months and get the first few in the mail! I need to spend time with my wife, parents, and visit my daughter in Santa Cruz one last time. I'm so excited and I can't stop smiling. Keep calm and hike on!

Dedication

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.

Meister Eckhart

Do people dedicate blogs, websites, hiking trips? I don't know, but I thought it would be good practice for when I write my first book.

To my parents who took me to the mountains,
To my wife who allows me to return to them,
To my friends who endured me talking constantly about them,
To my junior high Sunday school teacher who took me backpacking,
To my Lord Jesus Christ who saved me from myself and gave me abundant life,
-Thank You

An Apple For The Teacher

At our family Christmas gathering, I shared my plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with my cousin, Sandra. She did her best to be supportive as I explained my crazy idea to walk from Mexico to Canada. (Editor's note: PCT-What is that? You are going to walk HOW far for HOW long?) My plans continued to develop, my website began to take shape, and I started looking for someone to proofread and edit content. I also wanted someone to test the site and help make it user friendly. If only I knew a retired teacher who might be interested in reading every word I write for the next nine months...

In January, I contacted Sandra and asked her to be my website and blog editor. She graciously agreed, and after getting her set up as an editor on my blog, she got right to work proofing each post. She corrected grammar, spelling, and asked thoughtful questions that helped me communicate effectively. She also edited the website content and made suggestions on making it more user friendly. If after all her editing, you still find a typo or broken link, that’s because I keep making changes to the website. I just can’t leave well enough alone. I keep tinkering with the text and layout. It’s just a Type A personality thing.

Thank you Sandra for all you have done to make my website and blog readable. Your proofreading is spot on and your suggestions are always helpful. Thank you in advance for cleaning up my blog posts from the trail, all 150 of them. It has been my privilege to have your help with my PCT adventure and when I get ready to write my first book, I’ll let you know. Keep calm and edit on.

Finish Strong

I've been thinking a lot about what it will feel like when I complete the Pacific Crest Trail and cross the border into Canada. But that's not the finish line I am thinking about today. The next few weeks I am going to focus on finishing well at work and at home so there is a smooth transition to the trail without any loose ends or regrets. I remember a few years ago I traveled to Kyrgyzstan to climb Peak Lenin. The last few weeks before the trip were challenging and I struggled to get everything done at work, at home, and prepare for the climb. I remember getting frustrated and being short with my family and my coworkers. When Eva took me to the airport, I felt worn out, disconnected from my family and friends, and wanted to run away more than climb a mountain.

The first few days of the expedition were filled with activity that kept me very busy, but when we arrived on the mountain the schedule slowed down and I began thinking about home and the people I left behind. I had regrets that made me doubt myself, my abilities, and my reasons for being there. Those feelings were part of what ultimately ended in a failure to summit and a costly lesson in priorities. I learned that my desire for adventures cannot be fulfilled at the cost of my marriage, family, and ministry. Since then I have worked hard to finish strong at home and at work, so I can enjoy the mountains and the passion they renew in me for my family and my work. This adventure is five months long so it is more important than ever that I finish strong so my heart, mind, and body are fully committed to the goal of hiking from Mexico to Canada. It will be a physical, mental, and spiritual adventure that I believe will prepare me for the next chapter in my life.

“The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.” -Elisabeth Elliot

Wired Wild

When I first started creating a website to document my plans to hike the PCT my goal was to have an interesting way to share the experience with family and a few friends. I had been dreaming about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for years, but I had no idea how much content I would generate and how much fun it would be to share it. I am not a web designer, graphic artist, or writer. I have a passion for the trail, a desire to express myself, have made something I am proud of, and look forward to sharing with as many people as I can. Last week I went to the post office to make sure I understood the regulations on mailing stove fuel to myself on the trail. The postal clerk was very excited about my trip and I could have stayed there for hours telling her all about it except for the 20 people waiting in line. When I bought 30 boxes of pop tarts at the store there were looks and questions and another opportunity to share.

This brings me to the topic of today's blog post: my domain name. As the website has grown, so has my interest in upgrading from a free design and hosting service with ads to a paid/ad free account with a personal domain name. Eva and I were brainstorming and came up with the name: Wired Wild. The .com extension was taken but .net was available so I snatched it up, created the simple logo above in publisher to use as a favicon and published the website! Eva and I like the name because of the play on words. In real life I play with wires. It's my job. It's what I love! People confuse me, but wires make sense. I know the names of the wires, the color codes, the number of conductors, and the types of connectors. Adapters are fun too because you can connect two different kinds of wires together and...Someone slap me please! But I am also wired on the inside for hiking; predisposed to adventure; susceptible to wildness. I am truly wired wild. So there you have it. Aren't you glad you asked? Keep calm and hike on.

Show Me The...Savings!

I'm not sure how old I was when someone told me that Santa wasn't real, but I do remember the day I was introduced to the concept of compounding interest! It was one of those moments when you hear the heavenly music, see the bright lights, and you start to tingle all over. I started saving money and I haven't stopped. It got harder when our children were born and even harder when they became teenagers, but I always found a way. Last spring when I met with the financial planner for our retirement plan through my employer, he said: "Maybe you don't need to save so much anymore. Maybe you could enjoy some of it now." (I know what you're thinking: I didn't know financial planners were even allowed to say that, but I'm telling you it's all true.) My first thought however, was: Don't tell my wife! She loves to spend money and she is really good at it!

The truth is, I don't like to spend money. I think money feels much safer in the bank. Those cash register drawers at retail stores are cold, dark, and lonely. So, I thought to myself, if I don't want to spend money, then maybe I don't need to make so much money, but what would I do if I wasn't making money? (Gasp) I know...I'll go HIKING for five months! Unfortunately, I am discovering that even hiking costs money, so when I return, I'll be going back to work, so I can afford to go hiking again, hopefully sooner than later!

I wrote this post to express, with a sense of humor, hopefully, the importance and value of saving, but saving is only a part of what it means to be a good steward. I believe a huge part of our financial success is our commitment to a modest and frugal lifestyle, always living within our means, and being generous in our giving to the Kingdom of God through our church and other charities. God has richly blessed us with good health, good careers, and opportunities to bless others. Now I have the good fortune to enjoy part of that blessing myself while I hike the PCT. Keep calm and save on.

WHY?

I'm sharing my plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I am concerned how the news will be received.

Will anyone understand?

Being away from home and work for five months
Hiking from Mexico to Canada-2,650 miles through 25 national forests and 7 national parks
Carrying only fifteen pounds of gear plus food and water
Deserts, forests, and mountains, through wind, rain, and snow
Twenty plus miles a day every day for five months

I’m not sure I understand it myself, but I am compelled to go:

To experience God’s creation in an intimate way
To test my strength, skills, and determination
To celebrate life and to live mine to the fullest
To hear God’s still small voice in the wilderness
To fulfill a dream that I have had for over twenty years

Below is a quote by George Leigh Mallory who died on Mt. Everest in June of 1924. He captures well the spirit of an adventurer and what compels me to go. I don't plan on dying while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, but I do expect to experience the joy and adventure he talks about!

"There is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." George Leigh Mallory

George Mallory is in the back row, second from the left.

Robert Farrar Capon

"Our pride drives us to establish our own righteousness. We strive all our life to see ourselves as keepers of rules we cannot keep, as loyal subjects of laws under which we can only be judged outlaws. Yet so deep is our need to derive our identity from our own self-respect – so profound our conviction that unless we watch our step, the watchbird will take away our name – that we will spend a lifetime trying to do the impossible rather than, for even one carefree minute, consent to having it done for us by someone else." Robert Farrar Capon

I know this is not a PCT/hiking post, but if you are curious about this specific PCT thru-hiker, you need to know this. One of my favorite authors is Robert Farrar Capon. He passed away in September of 2013, at the age of 88. He wrote 27 books, most of which are focused on theology and the theme of grace, but his other passion was cooking and he wrote several cook books as well. I was introduced to Capon in college and immediately fell in love with his writing. It was his book on the outrage of God's grace that forced me to see that I had not truly experienced God's grace and that most of my life I had been living on the bus fumes of religion and my own righteousness rather than in the pure air of God's grace and the freedom it offers. Just getting the book is a story in itself, and as soon as it arrived, I began reading. After finishing it the first time I was angry...how can he say that? How can he make it sound so easy-so cheap? The second time I read it I was scared...what if he's right? What if God really is that in love with us? And after reading it a third time, in less than a month, I remember waking my wife up in the middle of the night, in our first year of marriage, and with tears in my eyes telling her: "God loves me! And it's even better than that. He likes me too! He doesn't just love me because He has to; He likes me and has invited me to the party." GOD loves me. God LOVES me. God loves ME!

Have you experienced God's grace?

"The life of grace is not an effort on our part to achieve a goal we set ourselves. It is a continually renewed attempt simply to believe that someone else has done all the achieving that is needed and to live in relationship with that person, whether we achieve or not. If that doesn't seem like much to you, you're right: it isn't. And, as a matter of fact, the life of grace is even less than that. It's not even our life at all, but the life of that Someone Else rising like a tide in the ruins of our death.” Robert Farrar Capon

That someone else is Jesus. Just say His name. He is there and He is listening.

Carry Our Fears

Fear is the stories we tell ourselves

For backpackers, fear means a heavier backpack. Some hikers are afraid of the cold, so they pack too many clothes or a heavy sleeping bag. Others fear hunger, so they carry more food than they could possibly eat. Still others worry about emergencies, so they bring an enormous first aid kit. Some worry about wild animals or crazy people, so they bring pepper spray or weapons. Some fear being alone, so they pack cell phones and other devices to stay connected to the "real world." The list of things to fear in the wilderness seems endless, butt in reality, the list of essentials you need to survive is very short.. Yes, there are things that may make you more comfortable and possibly make the trip more enjoyable, but everything you add means carrying more weight, and carrying more than you need for 2,650 miles is definitely not enjoyable!

I suppose there is also a lesson here beyond hiking. While backpackers carry fear on their backs, the rest of us carry it in not so obvious ways. Fear affects the way we think and feel about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It changes the way we act and respond. If we are afraid, we don't speak up, we don't show love, we avoid new things and meeting new people, or even asking for help. The Bible tells us over and over that fear is not from God. Here is just one example: The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

I am not a particularly brave man, but I am learning to overcome my fears by trusting in God: to listen to Him rather than the naysayers or my own questions and doubts; to forgive, to accept a compliment, and risk being vulnerable. Sometimes I still get afraid and have to stop myself and focus on that still small voice: For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13 What are you afraid of? Let God set you free. He promises that nothing; not your fears, or failures, or circumstances will keep you from knowing his grace and power. He promises hope and joy and peace that cannot be explained. I have experienced this and know it to be true. Take a moment and allow God to minister to you through this song that expresses the hope and joy of God setting us free from the things that hold us back from knowing Him and being all that we can be. In Him you are free, whole and want for nothing.

I Shall Not Want by Audrey Assad

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First Day of Spring

It's the first day of spring! You know what that means...that's right, only 34 days until I start hiking the Pacific Crest Trail! Have I mentioned how excited I am? I continue to chip away at my to do list. I filed my daughter's taxes last night and ours this morning. (Let's just say that Erica got a bigger refund than Eva and I did, and leave it at that.) Today I am having some work done on my daughter's truck and tomorrow I'll work on fixing the sprinkler system for our yards. How should I celebrate the beginning of spring? I know, how about a hike...

PCT 2014

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