Aside from a swollen left hand, Day 2 dawned with an air of hopefulness. My sister and I were about 10 miles into our planned 273-mile adventure on Vermont’s Long Trail—the footpath in the wilderness. The previous two Pastor’s Page installments cover the months of preparation up to the actual…
After years of dreaming, months of planning, miles of driving, and an almost 4-mile climb up the Pine Cobble Trail, I finally stood in front of the iconic “Welcome to the Vermont Long Trail” sign. (If you missed last week’s beginning of this adventure, you can read it here: The…
I can’t recall becoming seriously interested in backpacking, but 7 or 8 years ago, I got it in my head that I’d like to hike the Long Trail in Vermont—a 273-mile trail up the spine of Vermont, through the Green Mountains, bordered by the Massachusetts state line in the south…
I rarely get to do spontaneous, early-in-the-week alterations to my routine. My to-do lists for the different days of the week are fairly uniform—at least the basics. I record the Morning Light broadcasts for the following week on Monday mornings. Then I’ll do some preliminary study for the week’s preaching/teaching…
A little over seven years ago, thanks to the generosity of some good friends, we spent a week in Palm Desert, California. Not my first choice in places to live, but sure is a great place to visit in early March! We flew into San Diego, hopped in the rental…
Since I’m technically on vacation, my writing time is quite limited. Nevertheless, on a recent hike we came across a fascinating scene. Until last week, we had never been to Minnesota’s North Shore—that stretch of Lake Superior shoreline stretching from Duluth to Grand Portage. A few weeks ago, I lamented…
Several weeks ago, I wrote about a would-be camping trip that went seriously awry—we barely made it out of the driveway with camper in tow when the car’s bumper gave way. I think that was the last straw, camping-wise, for our family. I recall four other attempts at a fun…
After having a relatively minor bout with COVID a few weeks ago, my bride finally felt up to getting out for a bit of a hike. We thought about heading south to Matthiessen State Park near LaSalle, Illinois—a little sister park to her more famous neighbor, Starved Rock. Both have…
“Nature speaks a silent message that can be heard when conditions are just right.… Truth exists in wild places—where the air is clean, the water pure, the land free.” Scott Stillman, Nature’s Silent Message Honestly, I’m not very good at listening out there…there where the sounds of silence speak volumes…
I don’t like being cold. Due to the nature of my work, I spend a good bit of time at a desk: reading, studying, administrative stuff. This time of year, it doesn’t seem to matter what I do, my feet and hands are often cold. And I don’t like it….
