Thinking weird thoughts...

Current Location: Oracle, AZ
Accumulated Miles: 200!

Well, we rolled into Oracle on Monday afternoon in the COLD wind, after a night near 9000 ft (near Summerhaven and Mt. Lemmon), where my water froze in the bottles! Not solid mind you, but enough that there was still ice 14 miles later when we walked into town.

Have you ever seen those old motels beside the highway, with the individual a-frame cabins/rooms? They always look a little creepy but at the same time you wonder what it would be like to stay there? Fun.... That's what it's like... But I live in a tiny tent in the woods, so I have pretty low standards!!

Thinking weird thoughts? Yup... People often ask me what i think about when i am alone with 'me' for hours on end...When you hike 200 miles through Arizona the trail isn't really full if people. In fact I saw about 15 people on Sunday when I was lost headed to Summerhaven and that's more than the # of people I had seen on the trail hiking cumulative! Crazy. But when one is alone waking, sometimes you think about strange things. SO... Here's what I think about while I hike...

I start my day thinking about the miles to come... Water and food for the day. I follow that with some prayer time, sending love and prayers for all my friends and family. Then I think some more about food and water and when I will find a good rock for a break. Then I just think about random things like family or memories from Brazil or church, or my friends and customers at Kroger and the 'bux. After lunch? Hmmmm...

I think a lot about the future, who I want to be, where I want to channel my energy, what I will do and where I want to be. I also think about random things like what my dog is doing or if I might go back to school.

Being along with yourself and your thoughts for such a long time could be pretty overwhelming... But it's actually really good. Sometimes I get to the end of the day and realize I haven't thought about anything at all!

While I look for meaning and listen for what God is teaching me in these quiet times, I also am learning to simply enjoy the silence... To let all the craziness drop from my mind an embrace the peace that comes in the quiet places. I am blessed.