Their journey begins....

Yesterday seemed like the longest day I've experienced for awhile. I woke up at 7:00 in order to drive my friends Megan and Leslie to Northern Georgia, so that they could begin their six month hike of the Appalachian Trail. For those of you that don't know what that is; the Appalachian Trail is a footpath beginning in Northern Georgia and ending in Maine, touching 14 different states and spanning approximately 2,100 miles. It's a hike! And I do mean a very long hike. Megan and Leslie have chosen to walk the 2,100 miles this year and I was fortunate enough to drop them off at their starting point: Springer Mountain.

It took us a little longer to get there than we had anticipated, but I was kind of glad to get to spend at least a little more time with them. The final stage of our search for Springer Mountain led us to Forest Service Road #42, which wound around the side of the mountain for six and a half miles. The road was really rough and had I not been driving an SUV, I think I might have strewn bits and pieces of my car all over the side of that mountain. Anyway, once we reached the top, Megan and Leslie got their packs out of the car, put on their boots and prepared to begin the six-month long walk to Maine. It was a time of mixed emotions for me, as I'm sure it is anyone who knows these two awesome girls. I felt extremely jealous that I could not go with them this time around. I felt excited for them to accomplish this unbelievable goal. I felt a little worried that they would remain safe throughout the journey. And I felt a little sad that I would not have them around anymore, at least not for awhile. I have all the confidence in the world that they will finish their journey and I have every intention of being in Maine to cheer them to the top of Mt. Katahdin. If you think about it, pray for these girls that they would have a safe and awesome six months and that God will reveal himself to them in a way that they have only, to this point, read about. I look forward to hearing their stories from along the way and seeing the ways in which they change while they spend six months in the wilderness. Walk on girls! Walk on!