We are so sorry for the delay of getting a new post up. We ran into some difficulties and we temporarily got off the trail. Actually, to be honest, it really was going to be permanent. We ran out of steam for this adventure, we got discouraged, the days were broiling, we had blisters, and the temptation to leave for the comforts of home far outweighed the continual deprivation and work that was the trail. We saw our out at Scissors Crossing and we took it, I am ashamed to say.
We were also running out of money, we had enough in our safe deposit box, but we had to physically go back and get it to put into our checking account.
 |
| This is Joe, who saved us from a bad campsite on day 2 |
It took a lot of effort to get from Scissors Crossing to Julian to San Diego, then finally to Garden Grove Ca. where Mark's brother lives. I got more and more depressed that I found it hard to function at all. Then as Mark was heading outside for a smoke break on Wednesday night, he ran into a black woman named Helen. As he was pouring out his frustration with our whole adventure, she immediately broke in and asked, "are you giving up on God?" She had a few more wise things to say, but that one question hit Mark like a ton a bricks, for we had always believed that God wanted us out on the trail for some reason, He opened doors for us to begin this adventure, and as we asked for His guidance the way was always on go status. Now we were just giving up!
We also had messages from KOKO and the Bald Guy telling us we couldn't get off the trail and that we had better get our sorry butts back on or else. I don't think I want to know what the or else was!
So we have listened to everyone. We are heading back on Sunday, and jumping back on the trail on Monday. We are going to skip approx. 133 miles of trail that we did in '99, and continue on with our group of friends to the end. In the fall when we finish, we will jump back and finish off those unfinished miles and then have our thru hike completed. We felt it important to meet up with our friends and continue with them, as they are encouraging and also fun!
We will keep this up to date, as I am getting more proficient at it, and there will be pictures!
Stay tuned, we're terribly sorry for temporarily letting all of our followers down, but we are going on in Gods service, whatever that turns out to be.
Glad to hear that you are not stopping!! I was wondering why I hadn't received a post recently. Hang in there and yes, God will give you the strength to finish. We're behind you 100%, so keep on trekking.....
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouragement, Glenn and Carol. With people like you two backing us, it makes it a little easier to weather the uncomfortable times. We are looking forward to the upcoming trail, it is beautiful as we will be dipping up and down into desert and pine forest. Stay tuned for our picture post of the first 77 miles!
DeleteRich is back in Reno and was just telling me how he would never do that Scissor's Crossing section ever again. (And you know where I got off the trail, so I have no idea about those dry desert stretches....and don't really care to know! I like water!) Money problems (and blisters, sunburn, etc.) are never fun to deal with, but I am so glad to hear that you are continuing your trip. Happy trails - Bulldog
ReplyDeleteSince you hadn't posted in a while, I was wondering if you were discouraged and were thinking about quitting. I've been praying for you to have courage and strength, and to carry on. I imagine the temptation to quit will arise again, but keep your mind on how much you've looked forward to this, planned for it, at let that and God's strength push you forward.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I did my third half-marathon. The first two I did, I ran much, but walked portions. My goal yesterday was to run the whole thing, with no walking. The last mile and a half I was ready to slow down, but am so glad now that I pushed on. Finished it slow, but ran the whole thing. What you're doing is obviously much bigger than my little 13 mile run, but I know you guys can do it!
Great to hear you are going to continue we are all rooting for you here at IMEX.
ReplyDelete