Wednesday: I had a few errands to run today, so I grabbed my camera and left the house shortly after 1pm. First, I needed my hair trimmed over at Great Clips--but I wasn't sure if one of the two stylists that I like would be working today, so I didn't "check in" on-line. It's only a 5-minute drive from my house, so that was my first stop. Voila! Yes--Teddy was working and told me it would be about a 35 minute wait for her ... so I took a walk while waiting for her text to tell me to come back.
I just walked through a ton of parking lots and finally got to Versluis Park, which is open for walkers but NOT for swimmers.
I was FAST walking, so I was not taking many pictures ... I only snapped a few quick ones.
I got the text to return to Great Clips and made it back in time to have Teddy trim my hair. I love Teddy, not only because she does a great job cutting my hair--but I love her as a person. I feel so drawn to her. I love her honesty and vulnerability and her spirit. She is in her mid-20's and is a believer. I love to talk with her about the Lord. She has to work most Sundays, so she doesn't get to attend church very often; but when she is free, she goes to Frontline (over on Plainfield). I don't know much about that church--I believe it is nondenominational and kind of a "seeker" church. I love how Teddy and I share the Lord with each other and I pray for her faith to grow and her entire life to be impacted by Christ. I always feel blessed after spending this 30 minutes every five weeks with her.
My next stop was over to State Farm to deliver IN PERSON some documentation that we scanned over to them months and months ago only to find out last week that they "never received" any of it. We are still waiting for the mini-tort from Emma's accident back in January which was not her fault and totaled her car. So I was able to deliver all of that paperwork and since I was "out and about", I decided to take a little walk over at Crahen Valley Park--a rather remarkable hiking spot. I took a bunch of pictures, but I also got into a bit of trouble:
Crahen Valley is ... surprising to me ... I think because the gorge is SO deep. I didn't go into the woods right away, but walked over to the little bridge to try to get some good pictures of it.
This is a nice little bridge ... the only thing it is missing is ... WATER underneath. There is nothing but dead branches a thistle under the bridge! It needs a fast-running rocky little stream of some kind!
I then went the other direction on the very wide and well-marked path that is even black-topped for quite a ways ... but this little offshoot path caught my eye and I decided to see what I could see if I got off the main path and took this little obscure one instead. SIGH.
It was fun to see this little snake slither past me ...
As this pathway progressed, it became steeper and steeper and steeper DOWNwards ...
I didn't take a picture of where I fell--I could see a tiny stream at the bottom of the gorge and I thought I could get down there to it if I just went slowly enough. BUT I the steepness of the hill just carried me quite out of control and I think I probably fell 30 feet--not in mid-air or anything--just down through the leaves and bramble and dirt until I crashed into a pile of debris. Ouch. I was really glad I hadn't broken anything. I think I will be very sore tomorrow, however!
I was able to get back onto my feet but I was pretty far down in the gorge and there was NO PATH that I could see. What I COULD see was lots and lots of thorny bushes and branches and everywhere I turned I was caught in them! It took me a very long time to climb back up the hill with no path whatsoever to follow. Many times I got to a complete dead-end, had to retrace my steps back down and try another route.
When I finally got to within about ten feet of the top and back to the main pathway, I was blocked by a barbed wire fence! WHAT?!!?!?!?!
I didn't have the energy to go back down and try another way up. I followed the fence, trying to find an opening--but ZERO openings! That's when I began to ... worry. I could hear people up on the main pathway above me, but felt a bit embarrassed about yelling up to them. What could they do anyway?
SO ... I did what I usually do when I get myself into a mess.
I called Jesse. And do you know what? Just hearing his voice on the other end calmed me right down. He has the nicest telephone voice of anyone I know. I told him my predicament and asked if he had any wire cutters that would slice through a barbed wire ... and told him my location, etc. He was very kind (he is always kind to me) and said he would get right back with me.
I felt encouraged just by Jesse's voice and his willingness to help. The fence was only waist high--perhaps I could hoist myself over it without having Jesse come all the way to Crahen and Leonard to rescue me. Thankfully, there was a tree nearby that I boosted myself up with--just high enough to get my left leg over the fence and then my other leg too and then I climbed/crawled (it's super steep at the top) the rest of the way to get out of the woods. I was SO relieved and thankful. I called Jesse right away and told him I was fine and that he didn't need to come. He was so nice about everything. Thank you for Jesse, Lord.
PS: After all of that walking this afternoon, I only logged 1.2 miles! Seriously?!?!? That was a hard-won 1.2 miles. Goodness.
NOTE TO SELF: No more taking "odd" paths off a main path into the unknown. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
REMEMBER!!
PSALM 18.36 You have made a WIDE path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
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