My day with God

On Saturday I went out to the Frederick, MD area and hiked along the Appalachian Trail.

After a steep uphill climb in my car, I got to the parking area. There were many people gathered around, ready to go hiking. I found the Appalachian Trail, and went north, toward Annapolis Rock. After a 2.2 mile climb, I was there, and I was presented with a grand view of the valley to the west of the mountain (The South Mountains). I sat down there and just prayed and read the Bible, and looked out over the valley. It was very chilly too, so after a while I had to get moving so I could warm up. I made my way down to a natural spring, and drank some of the fresh water coming out of it. It was so good!

I then walked back to where I started on the trail, and crossed over I-70 on a footbridge. It was a three mile climb up to Washington Monument. There weren't too many people on the trail, so most of the time I was just by myself. Towards the end of the hike up, it got really steep, and I could see the Washington Monument through the trees. It was surreal, and it felt like I was climbing this mountain for God, and that he was helping me.

Washington Monument is a stone tower, built by the local townsfolk in the 1830s. I climbed to the top, and there was a stunning 360 degree view of the surrounding country. I could see many towns, forests, farms, and distant mountains. I could see Annapolis Rock, where I had just been five miles before. I couldn't believe I had walked that far. I spoke to two men up there, who were really nice. They were looking at hawks through binoculars.

As I started walking back to my car, I become very exhausted. It was difficult to walk any longer. I saw some large rocks over to my right, and I went over. I sat down amongst the rocks, on the side of the mountain, and no one could see me from behind because the rocks were behind me. I sat there and read the Bible and prayed, in complete privacy. Just God and me. It was great. I was restored from that point, and I hiked the rest of the way down to my car.

I then went to another state park, and drove along the roads. I stopped at an overlook and looked out over the entire city of Frerick. Then, I drove down to Frederick, and got dinner and Starbucks. And the view from inside Starbucks was awesome, because the mountains were right there, towering over the city. And then, with a little help from God and coffee, I got home safe and sound.