My summer vacation - Week 1

I just returned from two weeks of summer vacation. My time away was refreshing and renewing...just what a vacation should be. Like many clergy, I find that there's no way to really take a vacation unless I leave town. There are no phone calls, no temptations to do a little more work, no obligations to attend to. When you leave town, you leave it behind.

Week 1 of my vacation was spent backpacking with my older son Guy on the Washington Coast. We drove to La Push, a small village on the coast, and left our car near there. Katy then drove us around through Neah Bay to the north part of the coast and dropped us off at the trailhead to Shi Shi Beach. We hiked from there south along the beach to our car.

The scenery along the coast is breathtaking. We encountered huge rocks jutting into the surf, jagged rocky coves awash in waves, long crescent beaches, and rocky obstacles along our way.


The first morning we woke up to the serene beauty of a misty morning at the Point of Arches (above).


The next day we hiked along the beach (above) to Cape Alava where we camped on a grassy spot (photo at the top of this column).


The last two days were difficult hiking because we had long stretches of rocky shoreline to scramble over. I fell and hurt my shin, and I lost the sole of one of my boots. At the end we were weary, dirty, and smelly. It was great! We felt like we really experienced the Olympic Coast and accomplished what we set out to do.

And, of course, there's nothing like coming back home, taking a hot shower and sleeping in a real bed. After a hike like this, the comforts of home are appreciated like never before.

When I go hiking, my normal routine of prayer life is interrupted. I don't have an easy chair to sit in and meditate like I usually do. On a hike, I find myself talking to God more directly and openly. I'm able to break out of my usual patterns and listen to God in new ways.

What I find is that I'm able to shed some of the roles I usually carry and I'm able to be myself more honestly. Hiking especially makes me focus on the basics of survival and identity. That's refreshing to me because I'm able to renew my inner self and feel reaffirmed in who I am as a simple person walking before God. I'm grateful I had this chance to do that.
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