A Day with FDR

I planned to spend New Year’s Eve hiking at F D Roosevelt State Park. I had made one prior trip there, and found it to be one of the best hiking spots in Georgia. I was concerned when I awoke to a forecast of heavy fog. Initially, worried about whether the long trip was worthwhile in such fog, but then I remembered my hiking rule #1:

It’s about the hike, stupid!

For me, hiking is about pushing my body physically, and the time I spend in quiet reflection. Any scenery is just a bonus, and in this case, it proved to be a big bonus!

I said a quick prayer about the weather, and set out. The fog was pea soup all the way there, about as bad as I have ever seen it. When I hit the entrance to the park, amazingly, the fog suddenly lifted, and God presented me with a beautiful and surprisingly warm day.

I had decided in advance to do three individual loops, all connected to the Pine Mountain Trail, a 23 mile trail running along the ridge of Pine Mountain. I began with the Overlook Loop (3.4 mi, Climb: ***, Terrain: ***, Interest: ***), which ended at the Callaway Gardens Country Store. Since breakfast was at 5:30, I decided to eat at the store after the loop (food fair, service not quite as fair).

During lunch, I was reading from Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. The chapter I read was discussing the eyes of the heart, about recognizing the unseen. In this chapter, the author mentions three eternal truths:

1) Things are not what they seem
2) A battle us under way
3) We have a crucial role to play

Something to ponder for the balance of my hike.

After lunch, I hiked the Mountain Creek Nature (3.2 mi, Climb: **, Terrain: **, Interest: **). I finished the day with the Dowdell Knob Loop (4.3 mi, Climb: ***, Terrain: ***, Interest: ****). This hike had some amazing views, and was historically one of FDR’s favorite spots. I did a total of 11 miles and 4 hours.

During the last part of the hike (done at a quickened pace to make sure I got out before the gate was locked at 5 PM), I was thinking about the 3rd eternal truth from the book in the context of the problems my company is currently experiencing due to the real estate upheaval. God took me from a stressful 30+ year career in Information Technology to the financial world, which I had hoped would reduce my stress level, but was proving otherwise. I began thinking about why God put me there, and came to realize that the staff was looking in part to me for strength during the time of uncertainty. This is a heavy responsibility.

Dowdell’s Knob Loop was well blazed with fresh paint, and the blazes could often be seen from ¼ mile away or more, in contrast to knowing God’s will in this life, where it is hard to see beyond today, which is fuzzy enough itself. I am not sure what God has in store at work beyond today, but I know he wants me to trust him for tomorrow, and to model that for the staff. I guess this is part of my “crucial role”.