Upon unloading our gear we quickly discovered that the Table Rock access was “officially” closed; therefore, our first challenge involved a 45 minute hike of approximately 1.5 miles with an incline of at least 40 degrees in order to access our trail to the campsite. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!! I made it and thought it would all be “down hill” from there. And to a certain degree, it was. The trail from the Table Rock Picnic Area to our eventual campsite was a beautiful, breath-taking, journey with superior views of the Gorge and surrounding regions. Seeing God’s creation from that perspective placed the writer in his proper role; totally humbled and amazed at the splendor of His Creation. From this location only praises and gratitude come from the soul. And a certain amount of fear, as Brad Browning informed the group that the “Chimneys” area were home to Peregrine Falcons, who could reach speeds up to 300 M.P.H. as they dive-bomb their prey!
Arriving at our campsite was a great feeling as we unloaded our burdens, foraged for firewood, and set up tents. Joey Tallent packed in some “fire-starter” and we quickly had a roaring campfire. And as you can imagine the next thing on our minds was…you guessed it…FOOD! I can imagine that a group of ladies would probably meet in advance, organize, plan, and deliver a scrumptious evening meal; but, that was definitely not the case for us boys. From sauerkraut to pop tarts, the variety and quantity of food that came to the table was simply stunning. My vote for most efficient and delicious cuisine had to go to Brad Browning, who somehow managed to produce hot chicken burritos. A close second would be Brian Skeggs “roast-on-a-stick” chicken breast! Unfortunately, the stick burned prior to the breast being cooked; and I am not sure exactly how he managed to complete the task…as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.
After dinner, we enjoyed good fellowship and watched a beautiful moon rising on the horizon. The moon actually was on its eternal journey and at that moment was the closest in would be to the Earth in 18 years. I praised God again and again for the intricate and miraculous design of His creation. Speaking of His creation, we also learned that we were sleeping in a Bear Sanctuary. As I climbed in my sleeping bag “under the stars” (as I shared with the group I had recently sold my tent in a FPU yard sale!) I wondered if being in a Bear Sanctuary meant the bears would be spoiled, thus tame, or if that meant they could do whatever the heck they wanted without impunity. It really didn’t matter as I was totally awake for the entire night due to a gale force wind that blew for hours, and being on my best behavior to meet Smokey and his relatives! I know Storm probably thought I was a “wimp”!
Upon arising at 0430, I discovered that other brave souls did not sleep so we rekindled the fire and enjoyed a small fellowship with hot Hazelnut Crème coffee and delicious baked sweet potato roasted in the fire. As the other campers gradually awoke we mustered around the fire for breakfast. Once again, the variety of entrees from instant oatmeal to tuna steak were enjoyed as we watched a slowly rising, orangish Sun climb in the east. Tyler Jones kept us posted on all the NCAA basketball game scores as we watched in amazement at how quickly one could heat up canned “A-B-C-‘s & 1, 2, 3’s” on the fire.
Breaking camp with lighter packs filled our spirits with anticipation of our journey back to civilization. The best time of the whole adventure for me was walking along with friends, sharing, and observing the beautiful handiwork of our Father. And then came “THE HILL”! Having repressed the more painful aspects of “THE HILL”, the writer will try to capture the more salient features of this experience…IT WAS SHEER TORMENT! A long, slow, winding, trail that went on FOREVER up, and up, and up…we would struggle by our comrades lying on the ground, moaning and begging for relief…dousing our hot sweaty heads and necks with our precious water…hanging on our walking sticks for support…and taking Tylenol and Goody’s powders to quash the pain. Oh my friends, it was agony!!! Even Storm gave me a look of compassionate empathy and understanding.
After reaching our destination we ingested great quantities of raisins, tangerines, Cliff bars, and liquids, and, of course, acted like it was nothing. We parted with our Bethlehem Baptist church brothers in Christ, and even planned another X-treme adventure for the fall. Thanks to Brian Skeggs and Adam Speight for inviting us to a point closer to death than I needed to see, but for the “oldest rat in the barn”, it was a thrill!
