Date: 2004-06-13
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name¢s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23For the first time in my life I¢m beginning to understand what David was thinking when he wrote Psalm 23. God and I talked for most of 13 miles today. I am currently being led though pastures and by running creeks. When I fall spiritually he always picks me up. When I struggle with hardship he carries me. I know that in him I will always have grace, always feel loved, and never have a reason to fear. He is faithful and I desire to be with him daily until the day when he calls me to join him in heaven. Wow. I awoke after 14 hours of sleep to a hiker accidentally flashing me¢¦oops! Upon stirring I realized that Yippie and Jabberwockie had arrived last night as well as 2 hikers Eelz and his girlfriend, Amanda. We broke camp slowly and joked around. I feel bad for Jabberwockie; he has poison ivy on his feet. Soon a group of 20 boy scouts departed from the tenting area.   I had slept through their arrival last night, I must have been gone. By 9:30 I finally left in the light rain wearing camp shoes again. The rain quickly ceased and I soon reached ¢BlackRocks¢. I was enjoying the view of the remains of a past cliff now crumpled with rocks asunder. It was sweet and I sang worship songs among the rocks. I met a nice couple from Front Royal and saw 2 families with kids walk up. I¢m not used to seeing kids on the trail :-) so it was cool. Soon I went on in my own little world. In the first 2 hours I saw 5 deer and took some close-up pictures. I sat to write on the side of the trail and a deer walked up a foot away, un-phased. I sat there with him and wrote; it was surreal. It was over my next 3 miles that I thought of Psalm 23 and got it. I walked slowly and I was alone. Well almost. At 2 p.m. I reached one of SNP¢s camp stores and I had Cheerwine, a bag of hotfries, and 34 of a block of Colby¢¦ahh! I met a hiker going south who had heard of me. Some hiker at a shelter north had started to rap jokingly and then defended himself ¢my name is not Beatbox¢. This made me smile. I gave the guy advice on his next 2 months and where he could find Pizza Hut Buffets. It was 4 p.m. when I finally left, this time wearing hiking shoes. As I walked the last 6 miles, I prayed. I thought about a lot of stuff and I just tried to let go. I want to be a man of God so badly. I just cried at points as I realized that He loves me and is holding me. All the future stuff I look to for happiness is in his hands, not mine. I told him how I have been lonely, He answered my prayer. I met Eelz and Amanda at the shelter and there was a homeless (?) lady there. We tried to be friendly, but she never spoke to us. It was disconcerting. Eelz, Amanda, and I talked and so many deer came around the shelter, I feared invasion. I had packed out a 2 liter Pepsi (no coke :-( and we shared. A hiker ¢John-John¢ dropped in but hiked on. We enjoyed ourselves and joked as 3 new hikers arrived: Skippy, Poppins, and Friar. My friends had been waiting to see for so long! I was bubbling as they approached. They entered giggly. It was weird to see them at the end of such an introspective day, but it was so cool. After they had dinner, we all talked. Friar seems cool and is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama (hello family in Alabama). Ironically Skippy is a Tennessee grad :-). We all had fun and Friar, Poppins, & I solved a crossword together. Before nightfall only Skippy and I remained, both of us journaling. Before bed Skippy asked how I was. I was able to really talk to her about my stresses, but also about how God carries me. As I reflected I knew it is in God along that I am finding peace. We talked and I assisted in her bear bag hanging. I only knew Skippy for a few days at Trail Days, but she immediately became my friend. I really felt blessed to talk to her this evening and I have really longed to talk to someone who might understand lately. As I go to sleep tonight I feel comfortable where I am physically and with God. In both cases I have further to push though. More challenges will arise and He will carry me again. In the meanwhile I am going to hike onward in the company of friends. As long as these deer to not attack I will journal again tomorrow. Goodnight, BEATBOX   ttt