The following post was actually written about a month ago; I forgot to add the pictures, and never got around to publishing it. Enjoy!
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In mid-September, Luke, Grace, and I, along with our good friends Paul and Judy, took a trek up north to spend some time in the comfortable, 60-degreeish weather. We were looking for an abandoned fire tower near Mountain, WI, where we were going to pick beech nuts. I'd never tried them before, and we'd read that they were both nutritious and delicious.
Well, instead of finding the abandoned tower, we found one that, while no longer in use, was still climbable. I strapped Grace into her carrier, and UP WE WENT! The flights of rickety, narrow steps definitely got our hearts pounding (literally! It was a big climb). The gorgeous sight at the top was well worth it, though.
The first hint of changing colors!
McCaslin Mountain, several miles away.
After that, the day was still young. We stopped for a quick picnic, and went on to check out Anderson Lake. Paul had been there as a child, and he wanted to see how the water levels and such had changed. Turns out, not much has!
Anderson Lake on a bright, early autumn day
Of course, a day up north isn't complete without SOME sort of wildlife. I found the tiniest little photogenic frog.
We finished off our afternoon with a wonderful hike. There were lots of wintergreen berries out, so we had a fun time chewing on the leaves and enjoying the minty-fresh berries.
A wintergreen berry up close. Beats gum any day!
Wintergreen, fresh off the plant.
So many wintergreen leaves along this little trail.
It would have been so easy to keep our eyes on the trail in a rush to finish before daylight faded; yet if we had, we would have missed out on an awesome opportunity to collect and enjoy the wintergreen.
John 4:35 says, "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."
It is so easy to look straight ahead in life, focused on our own goals, responsibilities, and priorities. But when we do that, we miss out on so much! There are struggling people ALL around us, in need of prayer and compassion. Most of all, they are in need of finding out how to have a true and complete relationship with God.
I need to train my eyes to "look on the fields" and see those struggling souls.
Otherwise, I'm walking down a trail, but I'm missing out on the beauty. joy, and purpose of the hike.
~Jen
