First Kid's Backpacking Trip

Gabe and I are experienced backpackers but our experience only goes so far. Taking kiddos on the trail is a whole new ball of wax. And this trail wasn't going to let us rest a minute. It was short, less than 2 miles in. But it was complete with missing foot bridges, bubble gum thick mud, and steep hills. Would we make it without our wives? Would the children have fun? Would Gabe and I survive? These were questions running through our minds as we set off for a two day adventure in ... Children Vs. Wild.


Big Hill Pond State Park was our home for a couple days and a night. The kids did awesome with their big-o backpacks. Gabe and I were so proud to have returned them each unharmed, fed, and relatively clean, even though we did not have our wonderful wives with us the entire time!

Why the Woods?

There is something deeply spiritual and refreshing about getting out into the woods, into nature, away from the sites and sounds of vehicles, buildings, concrete, plastic, pavement, and people. It's just you and God. Well, in this case, US and God. Still... You see where his created things are his original masterpieces, before we turned them into our own creations, into paper, 2x4's, and bug collections at the Pink Palace Museum. You hear the birds in the morning, smell the dew on the ground, and taste the cold in the air. The fog drifts across the lake surface like the Spirit of God hovering above the Earth right before everything sprang to Life. And my heart is full. It's full of the outdoors and of God's love. And I already long to return to His living room.