Living a little under a mile from the church where I serve as pastor, I often walk to the office in the morning to get some exercise. I’ve discovered that listening to an audiobook along the way makes the walk shorter and less routine. There are, after all, only so…
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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….
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The air was cool and crisp, but not cold—the sun’s warmth kept any discomfort at bay. The occasional clouds were not a nuisance or obstruction; they added to the texture of the brilliant azure blue sky. Dry leaves swooshed and crunched beneath our feet. Those they had left behind on…
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I’m currently in the middle of listening to an audiobook on one woman’s through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail—the 2,650-mile path from the California-Mexican border to the Washington-Canadian border. The author-hiker shares innumerable difficulties, hardships, dangers, injuries, fears, and failures along the journey. Imagine having to run along the trail…
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Aside from a couple multi-day backpacking trips, almost all the hikes I’ve done have been with my bride of almost 41 years. We’ve been on day-hike trails in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, Utah, California, Alaska, Costa Rica, and Malaysia. Surely, I’m…
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This post may seem like a mere travelogue. Sorry about that, but it’s going somewhere (no pun intended), though it will take a couple of posts to get there. Hope you’ll go along for the journey. Our first visit to the American southwest—about seven years ago—left us unimpressed overall. We…
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Late last July, my wife and I spent a few days in Breckenridge, Colorado, just before our 40th Anniversary. To be sure, so much about the trip was wonderful. Beautiful scenery. Great weather. Time alone together. But there was too much reminding us of the COVID pandemic. For starters, having…
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Out in the woods along some lightly used trail, dangers lurk to snare the unsuspecting. Even novice hikers are aware of some of these. A brush with poison ivy leaves one itching for relief. An upturned tree root hidden under fallen leaves can trip up the unsuspecting and wrench an…
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed being outdoors, especially camping and hiking—just didn’t do much of it. If I’d had my druthers growing up, I would have joined Cub Scouts and then Boy Scouts; however, being a pastor’s kid, it wasn’t an option. Scout meetings always conflicted…
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