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| Put down that map and get wonderfully lost. |
I agree with what Robert Louis Stevenson says: 'For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move'. Going somewhere new is fantastic to me because of the action itself; seeing objects and sights the world has to offer is just a wonderful bonus. It is the experience of becoming more culturally diverse, the feeling of being active, and the realization of how blessed I am to be able to enjoy all that God has made that I enjoy so much. Life is a great adventure in which we are constantly traveling, and if you think about it, there are really no foreign places but rather foreign travelers who can only become familiar with a place through experiencing being there.
I love, love, love traveling, and even more so, I love exploring. Adventuring stirs my soul, and seeing different parts of the world only makes me admire the Creator of it all more and more for His handiwork. Man, He is beautiful for what He's made.
My favorite way to see God is through His creation, particularly through majestic mountains and rolling hills. Growing up I often traveled to Colorado or New Mexico to mountain climb, and I'll never forget the first time I summited to the top of a mountain almost 14,000 feet high after a three and a half day hike and having three thoughts:
1) I've never been so exhausted in my life
2) There's no coke machine with extensive plumbing up here like the seniors in the youth group told us (naive) seventh graders there would be
3) I am so, so in awe that the God of the universe would allow me to hike up here and see this view
It. Was. Stunning.
Even more impacting to me than the view was the journey itself, which saw tears of laughter, tears of exasperation, songs of praise, cries of pain, shouts of surprise, breaths of awe, new friendships, stronger bonds with old ones, and much more. The journey up took so much out of me physically but ironically filled me up like never before spiritually, and I remember standing at the top of the mountain and resolving to never stop traveling, whether it be abroad, locally, or just in my daily life, because in traveling-truly intentionally seeing the world around me and interacting with it-that I learn so much about life and love. That journey up a mountain was a different kind of living than I do on a daily basis-though I wish I could hike everyday- but it taught me to depend on other people, lead when necessary, appreciate what I have, and see the Father's touch in every and any situation. The Bible says that faith can move mountains, but that day I'd say a mountain moved my faith. Since then I've been fortunate and blessed with the opportunity to see Africa, Italy, London, Mexico, much of the United States, and I've gotten to summit many more mountains, and though each place is different and unique from the next, they all have one common aspect: God is present. God is in the desolate squalor of poverty and among the richest, industrialized nation. God is along the peaceful riverbanks of the mountainside and within the busy New York city life. Traveling through life means traveling with God, because anywhere I am and whatever I am doing, He calls me to love and to learn. These are lessons I will never forget.
Anyway, my favorite form of traveling is hiking, and I've made a list of places to go, some of which I've accomplished but many more that I hope to in the future:
Mt. Shavano- Colorado
Mt. Englemann- Colorado
Mt. Ranier-The Wonderland Trail
Kungsleden- Sweden
Grand Canyon Hike- Arizona
Grindelwald- Switzerland
Yosemite National Park Grand Traverse- California
Queen Charlotte Track- New Zealand
Croagh Patrick- Ireland
Mt. Kilimanjaro- Tanzania
There is something incredibly symbolic about hiking up to the top of a mountain. It takes endurance, strength, faith, and perseverance, and since traveling through life takes having these characteristics, too, a mountain climbing trip parallels life well.
Life is about traveling through each day and embracing love through faith. It's about praising God when a day is full of sunshine and also rejoicing through all trials.
This is why I travel. This is why I hike. It reminds me how to live.
