Saturday, June 26, 2010

I go to the mountains...

I saw these 2 quotes today on one of my favorite blogs...
{Climb the mountains & get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. -John Muir}
 {God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. -Martin Luther}
This was extremely timely, given that I had a minor freak out about our trip to Alaska this summer. I'm usually on the ball with planning, etc, but I booked our flight 6 months ago and I'd forgotten about the other details until, um, yesterday. We'll be camping, which usually means minimal planning & a lot of flying by the seat of our pants, but Alaska poses some planning difficulties:
  • my fear of losing our luggage/gear on our flight (flights rather - we have 3 legs to make it to Anchorage & one of our layovers is only 30 minutes, gulp)...*
  • packing for an airplane ride instead of just throwing everything in our trunk (condense! condense! condense!)...
  • coordinating getting our 'stuff' to Wonder Lake in Denali (5 hour trip accessible only by National Park bus - strategically difficult for us b/c we have a teeny weeny tent that we usually only sleep in & keep all of our stuff in our car)...
  • worrying about reservations at popular campsites...
  • trying to figure out how to pack & plan for Alaska's unpredictable weather...
  • the list goes on...
  • *Sidenote: has anyone ever shipped their luggage ahead of time? pros/cons? recommendations? Share your experience in the comments!
When I read those 2 quotes above I was reminded why we love camping so much:
  • to be in the midst of the beauty of creation, without distractions of email, blackberries, television, traffic, bills, dental school applications, etc....
  • to stretch our legs & seek out adventure not because we're worried about an exercise regimen, but because the mountains are there, begging to be explored & experienced...
  • to reconnect with one another (it's hard to avoid each other in teeny tent!)...
  • to go to sleep with the sunset & wake up with the sunrise (we may have to modify our sleeping regimen in Alaska given that it's light during most of the sleeping hours!)...
  • for the quiet & stillness that can only be experienced away from our everday life...
Although the logistics are difficult, I know they will be entirely worth it when we wake up to Mt. McKinley next month (that is, if the weather cooperates - and none of my planning is going to change our chances of seeing the mountain!). Even if it rains the entire time we're in Alaska, we will still be experiencing an entirely new part of our beautiful country & taking time to step away from the things that complicate our lives.
...Now... back to planning! & praying for good weather!
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
{Chorus of The Woods - Patchouli}
a.k.a. our roadrip/camping theme song
I go to the woods to feel good
I go to the river to let my mind run
I go to the mountain to gain perspective
I go to the fields to open up
I look to the lake to reflect
I look to the sky to imagine
I travel highways to go somewhere new 
I go to the woods...
{The earth & its fullness are the Lord's. - 1 Corinthians 10:26}
{You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. - Isaiah 55:12}
{The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - Psalm 19:1}

4 comments:

  1. I love that Martin Luther quote!

    My parents, Greg, and I are going on a similar trip this summer! We're flying to California, getting a rental car, and then camping all around the national parks out West. What we decided to do to cut back on luggage is to buy some of the more inexpensive supplies when we get there (the ones that would cost more to ship or take on the plane than they would to buy... we figure that aluminum lawn chairs and a little folding table to cook on and stuff like that probably fit into that category) and then donate those things to Goodwill before we leave. But I guess we'll see how that works out! I've always wanted to go to Alaska... have fun!

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  2. Thanks, Emily! We are definitely planning on buying a lot of our incidentals when we get there....I like the idea of donating to those things to Goodwill when we leave! We're also going to forego some of the 'extras' we would otherwise bring. Have fun on your trip! What parks are you going to be visiting? Is your foot doing okay?

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  3. So jealous of your trip! You'll have a fabulous time. I've had friends do what Emily suggested- go to a Walmart/super store when you get into town to pick up cheap essentials. The friend who did this actually bought everything there- including the tent. They had to throw it away after the trip b/c no one wanted to check their luggage. That's pretty extreme, but you'll do fine. Try not to stress out too much on the details- I know you do too much thinking about that stuff. It'll work out. Take lots of pics! Love you and miss you! Oh- my family says hi and they want you to join us in Michigan again. I told them it prob won't happen... sad face.

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  4. marclar!!!!!!!!!!! no lake michigan for me this summer :( we are going to detroit metro for a wedding (kevin g. - remember him from our wedding? one of our groomsmen). we're staying with cbiz which should be fun.... wish we were coming to chicago, but it looks like we won't be back up until christmas. say hello to the fam for me! i was actually telling matt that i needed to squeeze a beach trip in soon, ESPECIALLY since i didn't get to do lake michigan with you & your family!!! loveyou! missyou!

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