Grace Like Rain: The Great Outdoors

So Michael and I decided last minute that we would take a quick trip to the mountains before it got too cold for camping. It was our first camping experience together, and other than my constant fear of being attacked by bears, moose, mountain lions, wolfs and squirrels, it was an awesome trip! Mid afternoon on Tuesday, we packed up the Jeep and made it to our campsite on the backside of Pike's Peak, tucked in a forest of Pine trees near a small stream. The whole way there I worried, nagged, begged Michael to stop for wood just in case we couldn't find any that was dry enough for a fire, but in true mountain man spirit, he insisted that he would find all the wood we needed.

He was right, but we had to climb halfway up the mountain to find it, and all the while I was certain that a mountain lion was stalking me and that I would faint from the altitude all because my husband refused to stop for firewood. I was loads of fun to be around, obviously. Actually, I just sat down with my bundle of twigs while Michael ran around like Paul Bunyan, ripping full-grown trees out of the ground and snapping them over his knees. If I weren't in the middle of being pouty, I would have made-out with him on the spot for being so studly. Before I knew it, he had a fire going and we were roastin' weenies and cookin' soup for dinner! It was really a wonderful night; the weather was crisp and invigorating and the smell of pine trees was ah-mazing. I repeatedly imagined what I would do if a bear waltzed onto our campsite: throw rocks, scream, cry hysterically and run backwards (you never turn your back on a bear, duh) leap over the stream and weave in and out of the trees in the dark without error before jumping into the Jeep and peeling out...all backwards, mind you.

I did forget all my fears of death by wild animals momentarily while we took hundreds of pictures and played around with long exposures and flashlights, never-ending fun I tell you (pictures to come). After our photo shoot, we were both ready for bed-mostly due to an unruly amount of smoke inhalation and smoke exposure to our eyes. Seriously, I'm blind now. Anyways, we took the cooler 100 yards away from camp to tie it up so that the bears would stay away. BUT, it turns out that Paul Bunyan only specializes in chopping down trees, and not in cooler-hanging-bear-prevention. So, long story short, we put the cooler in the front seat of the Jeep. This wouldn't be such a big deal except for the fact that we were sleeping in the Jeep.

Sidenote: Bears can smell an opened bag of potato chips from miles away. Before hibernation, they need to consume 20,000 calories a day. There are an estimated 10,000 bears in Colorado.

Are we understanding now why I would be a little uneasy about sleeping in the same place as the food?! So after hours of laying wide-eyed and stiff, I finally drifted into nightmareville only to be woken shortly after by strange grunting noises and our car rocking gently back and forth. We both sit straight up and know immediately what is happening as we see the silhouette of the bear's upper body through the foggy passenger seat window. I nearly have a heart attack as Michael scrambles for the keys and fumbles into the drivers seat. I manage to shriek a quick, "I told you!" before breaking into a fit of hysterical nervous laughter. I know, not normal. Michael starts the car and the bear jumps back, startled as we peel out of there like Bonnie and Clyde, the bear chasing close behind down the winding dirt road in the dead of night. Before long we lose the bear and continue speeding down the mountain in stunned silence before the Jeep looses control and we drive off the edge of a cliff and tumble into blackness.

I kid, Internet, I kid. We didn't see a single bear, moose, mountain lion, or wolf the entire trip. But seriously, we were THAT close to being bear bait. I count myself lucky to be alive, truly.

So the next morning, I'm feeling much better because the sun is up and I can see for myself that the sound of a twig breaking is not, in fact, a mountain lion sneaking up on me. Michael got the fire going again and we dined on donuts and granola bars before setting off to blaze the trails. The hike was probably my favorite part of our whole adventure; it felt wonderful to be surrounded by nothing but the crisp breeze, towering trees, holes of sun light peeking through, and the sound of the little stream that followed us through the mountain. We climbed for hours and talked about life as we stopped every now and then for water and snacks, but as we neared the end of the tree line, we decided to head back to camp as an ominous gray cloud quickly approached. Michael noted that "all the trees up hear are probably dead for a reason..." that was really comforting for me, as I'm sure you can imagine. So, we set out down the path in fifth gear as the light shower turned into down pour which turned into hail. Yes, HAIL! But really, we were totally fine and equipped thankfully with rain jackets. It was only small hail and we quite enjoyed the way the sun shone through the trees and lit up the rain. I wanted to take a picture but didn't for fear of damaging my precious baby (that would be my camera in case that was unclear). Before long, the rain subsided and we made it back to camp without getting struck by lightning. We had worked up an appetite and quickly whipped up another round of hot dogs, soup and s'mores before we packed up camp and headed home.

It was such a simple and refreshing trip. A chance to get away for a day and remember who we are, who God is. I know I've been a tad dramatic and have perhaps portrayed our trip to be more of a disaster than a retreat, but it's my blog and I quite like rationalizing my fears of bears and lightning in the form of exaggeration and drama. But honestly, it was the PERFECT little get away, and I can't wait to do it again!