Monday, March 5, 2012
Spring Break 2012
As you all know, spring break is a big deal for most college students. While I was in college at the University of Wisconsin, everyone tried to leave and escape the frigid temps. As a student my first spring break was with Campus Crusade to Florida to minister to the "crazy" college kids on the beach. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy this trip... I didn't see much value in walking up to drunk students and telling them about Jesus. They weren't going to remember it the next day anyways. I felt like Campus Crusade was putting us in a difficult and unsafe situation that we didn't all voluntarily want to experience. The following year I spent spring break going to New Orleans to work on houses. I really enjoyed the city but laying laminate flooring and cutting wood wasn't really my thing either. The next year I worked during Spring Break and took a weekend backpacking trip with my boyfriend (now my husband) and some of his friends. The following year I was in for the eventful spring break I was always hoping for. Cory and I helped lead a trip for University of Pittsburgh students through the CCO, the ministry I now work for.
We were planning to spend 6 days in the Pisgah NF of North Carolina; but that's not what happened. When we hiked out is started to rain. The students didn't mind at first but us seasoned veterans knew that as soon as you get cold and wet in the backcountry, you never get quite dry again. It continued to rain throughout most of the trip. Tents started to leak, students began to run out of dry clothes, and everyone gradually became more lethargic and whiny. On the third night a co-leader and I sat in our tent listening to her weather radio. The forecast called for snow! Knowing that our students weren't prepared to handle winter weather conditions we evacuated the next morning with 8 miles between us and the trailhead. Knowing this would be a lot to ask of a group that had previously only managed 6 miles we prayed for the best conditions. Cory and I, along with another guy, went ahead of the group to get our van (an additional 2 miles from the trailhead) and bring it to pick up the group. Soon after we set out we heard the thunderous roar of a river swollen from the heavy rains and snow melt. Unfortunately there was no bridge to cross it and we had to stop to help the group across. This story repeated itself two more times. Eventually we started to run out of daylight. When our small group of scouts made it to the trailhead, we continued to the van only to find that the road had undergone construction! Since the road was not driveable, Cory and the other guy had to drive 45 minutes through the town and over the other side of the mountain. I was sent back on foot to stop the group from continuing onward. Finally we loaded up in the dark and drove home through the night. The students love to retell the story today. They think they are so cool.
This year, I'm not leading a trip. Instead I am taking care of all of the logistical and equipment needs. On Friday we sent three groups out to Everglades to paddle for the week. Two groups are kayaking and one group is canoeing. Getting these groups ready to leave reminded me of why I'm a land lover. It's so much easier to just pack up your belongings inside your backpack and head out on the trail. Maybe though, it's really that I love being able to do things by myself. As I went out to the Equipment Room to get things ready for the trips, I was frustrated by the fact that I needed help. I couldn't lift boats and load them onto the trailer by myself. Sometimes I didn't have the knowledge I needed to make necessary repairs to kayaks. Gathering dozens of PFDs, paddles, bilge pumps, spray skirts, hatch covers, and other accessories was cumbersome and these things aren't needed when backpacking. I think that one of my greatest weaknesses is asking for help and I try to avoid situations were I need help from others. Now that the trips are out, I'm glad that almost all of our trips this spring break are paddling trips. God has used the experience to cause me to become more comfortable with asking for help.
Sometimes I think I subconsciously desire my life to be like a solo traverse of the AT. My few belongings able to fit on my back, no constraints on my time except the setting of the sun, companions coming and going along the way. Cory and I discuss how when I get somewhere I'm always thinking about the next place. He's the one that drives us to build and maintain community ties. Through our marriage God is using Cory to show me more about what it means to be part of a team.
We were planning to spend 6 days in the Pisgah NF of North Carolina; but that's not what happened. When we hiked out is started to rain. The students didn't mind at first but us seasoned veterans knew that as soon as you get cold and wet in the backcountry, you never get quite dry again. It continued to rain throughout most of the trip. Tents started to leak, students began to run out of dry clothes, and everyone gradually became more lethargic and whiny. On the third night a co-leader and I sat in our tent listening to her weather radio. The forecast called for snow! Knowing that our students weren't prepared to handle winter weather conditions we evacuated the next morning with 8 miles between us and the trailhead. Knowing this would be a lot to ask of a group that had previously only managed 6 miles we prayed for the best conditions. Cory and I, along with another guy, went ahead of the group to get our van (an additional 2 miles from the trailhead) and bring it to pick up the group. Soon after we set out we heard the thunderous roar of a river swollen from the heavy rains and snow melt. Unfortunately there was no bridge to cross it and we had to stop to help the group across. This story repeated itself two more times. Eventually we started to run out of daylight. When our small group of scouts made it to the trailhead, we continued to the van only to find that the road had undergone construction! Since the road was not driveable, Cory and the other guy had to drive 45 minutes through the town and over the other side of the mountain. I was sent back on foot to stop the group from continuing onward. Finally we loaded up in the dark and drove home through the night. The students love to retell the story today. They think they are so cool.
This year, I'm not leading a trip. Instead I am taking care of all of the logistical and equipment needs. On Friday we sent three groups out to Everglades to paddle for the week. Two groups are kayaking and one group is canoeing. Getting these groups ready to leave reminded me of why I'm a land lover. It's so much easier to just pack up your belongings inside your backpack and head out on the trail. Maybe though, it's really that I love being able to do things by myself. As I went out to the Equipment Room to get things ready for the trips, I was frustrated by the fact that I needed help. I couldn't lift boats and load them onto the trailer by myself. Sometimes I didn't have the knowledge I needed to make necessary repairs to kayaks. Gathering dozens of PFDs, paddles, bilge pumps, spray skirts, hatch covers, and other accessories was cumbersome and these things aren't needed when backpacking. I think that one of my greatest weaknesses is asking for help and I try to avoid situations were I need help from others. Now that the trips are out, I'm glad that almost all of our trips this spring break are paddling trips. God has used the experience to cause me to become more comfortable with asking for help.
Sometimes I think I subconsciously desire my life to be like a solo traverse of the AT. My few belongings able to fit on my back, no constraints on my time except the setting of the sun, companions coming and going along the way. Cory and I discuss how when I get somewhere I'm always thinking about the next place. He's the one that drives us to build and maintain community ties. Through our marriage God is using Cory to show me more about what it means to be part of a team.
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