Final Days

Well I will keep this post on the short side. As I clocked out I was really excited. It meant my summer was coming to a close and I would see my older sister in just a few short days. As I walked out to the back dock I was rewarded with a pie to the face. It was kind of shocking. I know what your thinking, picture? Well a picture should show up on facebook one of these days.
I had a few days before Tori was to pick me up, so it was off camping with my boss and a couple of others. We shot a few guns, went snipe hunting, enjoyed a warm fire, and got fried at Hume Lake. Hume is a dame made lake that was constructed for logging way back in the day. Now a large Christian camp owns the land and is open to the public to come and enjoy its beaches. Even though I got a bad sun burn it was a blast because it has a large Sequoia cut that was left from the logging days. It hasn't rotted away because Sequoia's have anti-rotting chemicals. Anyways, it was a lot of fun. It was so large we couldn't even get it turned around.

Few of the guns we shot

After a couple of days of camping it was finally time for Tori to show up. We hung out, went hiking, and enjoyed the Sierra Nevada mountains. I had a blast and it was good to catch up with Tori.

Sunset on Moro Rock

After a couple days of exploring we headed back to Cal city. Just like that my summer adventure was over. I had a great time and I hope to visit those beautiful mountains again in the future. This will be my last post. Thank you all for you support and prayers.      

Almost out of here

Well my summer here in Sequoia National Park is just about to come to a close and what an adventure it has been. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. The Lord has taught me much this summer and I look forward to seeing where I'll be serving Him next summer. Maybe back at CLBC? That would be nice.
It seems this summer has just flown by in the past few months, but as I look back at all the adventures I have been on  I realize just how long I have been here. I think it is about time to head back to Michigan and SAU.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. It is amazing the adventures the Lord will take you on when you just listen and obey. I remember the day I first read the little flyer for ACMNP and thought, "yeah, that would be cool, but something I wouldn't actually ever do." Ha, I am warning you now, don't ever think for a moment that God wont call you somewhere you think He wouldn't...like a National Park for an entire summer. Keep your mind open and remember to be obedient. Who knows where or what I'll be doing next summer, but what I do know is that God's hand will be in it.
Living here has given me the chance to see what being a disciple really means. Sometimes it will seem lonely and useless. Sometimes it wont even seem worth it. Sometimes it will seem as though you wont make it through. It is worth it, it is possible to make it through to the end, and it isn't as lonely as one might think. I believe much of the ministry that I have done here I can not see. How am I to know how God has touched the lives that I have come encounter with?
What a great summer and what a great God we serve. Again thank you for the prayers, support, and keeping up with my blog. I believe I will do one last entree before I call it quits. I'm going camping tomorrow and it may just be interesting enough to share with you all.     

Adventure or Epic Fail?

So I entered some photos into the National Parks photo competition and three of my photos won second place. Here are the three that placed...

Not sure why it went all fuzzy when I uploaded, but this photo won second in Sequoia Trees division

 

Won second in the Flower division

Won second in the seasons division

I thought that was pretty cool that three of my photos placed. Now onward to my adventure or epic fail?
It all started a couple hours after our usual service. It went smoothly and like any other, but I had the rest of the day off and it was only noon. Libby and I wanted to do something with the rest of the day. It was soon decided that Crystal Cave would be perfect, except for the fact that we didn't have a car. But hey, we were in shape and we could just walk there. So we looked at a map and made out our route. We would take the bus to the museum and from there walk a little less than 4 miles to the road that would lead us to the dirt road leading to the cave. Our map cut off shortly there after, but we guessed it would only be another mile at most. We would make it just in time for our 3:30 tour. Ha...right.
After hiking the 3 mile used trail (used trails are not maintained) we popped right were we expected to and right on time. Now we just had to hike the last bit, which we had only guessed the distance. I'll spare you the details thereafter, but it turned out it be an additional 4 miles, much more than we had anticipated. Needless to say, we missed our tour.
That wasn't the worst of it though. While hiking the unknown distance we soon realized that even if we were to turn back at that time we were going to miss the last shuttle from the museum. That would mean an additional 7 miles to our trip that we already had 4 miles added onto. We had gotten ourselves into a pickle. We decided our best bet was to continue onward to the cave and try to find a ride back with the employees there. We weren't sure how long we would have to wait for them, nor did we know if they would have room, not did we know how much longer we would have to hike to get there.
The parking lot was a glorious sight to be seen. We had hiked a little more than 7 miles with no break and had gone a steady 3 miles per hour, and to add to it all, it was in the lower 90's. We were kind of tired. It was time for the next challenge. Getting a ride. Luckily it all worked out and after talking to the manager we were able to book a ride with them back to lodgepole. We had to wait an hour, but we were just happy to have a ride back. After figuring it all out, if we were to have had to walk all the way back to lodgepole we would have had to hike 22 miles. We had both done that before, but this time we had not packed accordingly, plus we started this adventure about one in the afternoon, so we would not have made it back to Lodgepole until about 9 or 10 at night.
Adventure or epic fail? I'd say both.       

Title!

Hey everyone! Just under three weeks until this amazing adventure comes to an end. As the end draws near, the anticipation becomes greater and greater. Sorry to the rest of you, but I must say I am looking forward to seeing my sister, Tori, the most. It has been over a year now and then she is leaving for another year! Makes my few months look like child's play. lol
So anyways, let me tell you a little more about my repetitive life here in SNP. Living conditions could be better. Living dorm style with incredibly dirty and messy people can be, well annoying. No matter how often I clean, it seems like dirt, trash, and other various stuff is everywhere. It can be very frustrating. Have you ever cleaned something repetitively that is still never clean? If you every have the choice, don't. I never get the satisfaction of looking at my work and being able to say, "that looks nice, I accomplished my task." I have this same problem with the store. The showers must be cleaned each and every day. The trash is always full, and the wood always needs more to the pile.  
Along with the never ending tasks, the visitors here are mind boggling. To give you an idea I'll just explain what happened today. A customer came into the store complaining that his shower would not turn on. We get this complaint several times a day and almost every time it is simply because they did not turn the nobs or they did not put enough quarters in the machine. So, I asked the man, "did you try turning the knobs?" He gave me a dirty look as to say, "what, do you think I am that stupid?" After returning to his shower, it just so happened that that was the problem. He had not turned the knobs. By this time the scheduled ten minutes had almost gone by, so he got a very short shower. He promptly came back into the store demanding a refund. Oh, these people. I'm not quite sure what to say about them. Are they annoying or are the just humorous? I guess it just depends on the day.
These are just a couple of situations I go through daily. Just wanted to give you a better idea. God's simple command to love everyone can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, but on the same side of the coin, it is incredible to see first hand what love can really do to an individual. I can not put it into words. My greatest mission here. To love no matter what.         

Full weekend

Living only a few miles away from the Giant Forest defiantly holds its benefits. It makes for a pretty relaxing day when I am able to hop onto a 15 minute shuttle ride and explore the stunning giants. With camera in hand and snacks on my back I was ready to just get away from the chaos. While not recommended, I often don't stick to the paths. Far to many people on the paths. Off trailing I am able to see the Sequoia's in their full glory. Get up close and personal. Ironically the General Sherman is my lest favorite place to be in the park. Endless hoards of people make the tree almost claustrophobic.

Speaking of claustrophobic, the Crystal Caves were incredible. While it is a focal point for many tourists, it was still worth the trip. Being my first time on a cave tour I was pretty excited. Crystal Cave is about three miles long and located at 4,600 feet. It was first discovered by a couple of fisherman, but now receives thousands of visitors each year. The tours last about 45 minutes with each group containing no more than 50 people. While the structures inside are incredible, unfortunately I discovered that caves are one of the most difficult places to capture. But I did my best.

After exploring the caves Sunday afternoon I chose to venture into the Giant Forest the next day. It was nice to be alone among the massive Sequoia's, but it didn't stay that way the entire day. I met my first marmot living under a Sequoia. It was a cute little guy. He let me get really close too. After about a 20 minute photo shoot that consisted of the marmot backing in and out of his little hole I made my way back to the main area of the Giant Forest.

The Marmot

Just yards away from the bus stop a mother bear and her two cubs were making their way through the crowded area. As the bear was sited, almost everyone on the bus scrambled off and quickly dug out their cameras. It was a big event. It was as if the bears were celebrates. Some thirty people where all following the bears snapping as many photos as their camera would allow and it didn't cease until the mother and two cubs made their way out of the main area.

Mama Bear next to a Sequoia

All in all, it was a good day filled with many excitements. I'm fully charged and ready for another week. It seems this summer is flying by. Only six more weeks to go and I'll be hanging with Tori and Karen. It still amazes me daily that the Lord has brought me to such a beautiful and stunning place. It isn't all fun, games, and bear sightings here though. God is always pushing me further out of my comfort zone and the challenges seem to always arise. Keep praying for me. :)      
        

Bear Paw

We woke up early Monday morning and where on the trail by 6:30. Joe, Libby and I all had the day off and we wanted to check out Bear Paw. Bear Paw is a small little camping resort where quest pay way to much to live in tents, but the view is unforgettable. Most make the hike in two days, but we only had one, so we decided to just go for it. While sources differ on the distance, we were going off of the fact that it was a 11.5 miles there and after coming back it was to be about 23 total miles. No small feat. I can understand why people make it a two day event.
The day started like any other hiking day. Chill was in the air and we were making good time. While many of the hikes often climb up a mountain and then back down. This particular hike curves around several peaks, making the hike an up and down event. No steep slopes but it was equivalent to hiking hill country, except to our left was the side of the mountain and to the right was often a steep slope.
There isn't much to tell about the actual hike. We walked, rested, ate a little, and walked some more. On occasion we would get a great view of our destination.

We were headed to a small spot right before that mountain range

We didn't have the path to ourselves at times

After hiking for about four hours we finally made it to Bear Paw. Having one building and several small tents the total guest capacity is just under 20. Deck style flooring and a heaving canvas is all the guests get to live in, but Bear Paw is still a little heaven in the middle of nowhere. Great view and how they are able to have flush toilets way out there, I'm not really sure. And to think, this camp is taken down every year.

Picture really doesn't give it justice (view from Bear Paw)

After enjoying some brownies, talking to the locals, and sun bathing on a large rock we made our way a mile back on the trial to wade in a nice looking river.

View from our large rock

Main building where we enjoyed a great view and brownies

Enjoyed lunch under a small bridge where we played in the water

 After playing in the cold water and enjoying our lunch we started our long trek back. Just like the hike up to Bear Paw there isn't much to say about our hike back except, we walked, ate a little, got bitten by flies, often rested and often got a great view of the mountain range.
After the hike needles to say we were all extremely tired. We were out of water, very dirty, and our legs and feet killed. Man was it worth it. :) 

      

The fourth

Fourth of July started out just like any other day. Woke up at 6:30 and was at work by 7. I was thankful I was on a morning shift because that meant I had my entire afternoon off to enjoy....well, sitting around. The fun didn't start until about 7 at night. That's about the time Wuksachi showed up and the food went on the grill. After a fun time with the Frisbee and the football the food was ready and so was I.

Ali 

It was great to get some decent food into my system. We had grilled corn, beans (didn't partake), grilled garlic bread, bacon, and tri tip (beef). All in all, we had a good old time.

Stacking cups for fun

Vince (boss) on the grill 

Good right?

As the sun went down on the party, the drinking (yes lots of people drink here), food, and all the other festivities continued. Being the fourth, some of wanted to see fireworks and the only chance of achieving our goal was to make our way to Moro rock. It wasn't certain that we would be able to see the fireworks from at least 40 miles away (strait shot) and on top of a mountain, but were determined to try it out. Turned out that after a little practice we were able to pick out the fire works from the millions of lights below. It was far from exciting, but we were pleased regardless. To give you a perspective, the millions of lights from the city were only the size of a little dots. The fireworks were about five times bigger than the average little dot. From where we sat that meant extremely small. Little puffs of light were all we got.

Flash was a bit intense

After enjoying our little puffs of light we headed back for what was left of the cake. Sure, it was probably cheep walmart cake, but it was still good to have something sweet. After each year it seems that family get togethers are becoming scarce and long in-between, but at the same time my experiences becoming greater and more extravagant. The future will no doubt be an interesting one.