Much to Process - Day 2

May 3, 2022 
Considering the evening before, we woke up late. We made another 1/2-mile trek down the hill and 1/2-mile back from to camp to get water. I can honestly say, drinking filtered water from a mountain stream beats ANYTHING coming out of your tap! 
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1jr558_oTUzo6VXfxoTbrbC16eWBFOo-2
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We had breakfast and broke camp. Breakfast was a carnation instant breakfast with a coffee pack. It was rather tasty, sort of like a mocha shake. Still very sore and tight from the night before. I slept with my feet elevated, which helped the swelling in my feet. Stretching helped!

The pain eased up a bit and we thought we were going to be ok. Extreme ups and downs in the first 3 miles, we felt every ounce of our bodies and the packs we were carrying. We were both starting to hear our bodies saying, “what in the world do you think you’re doing.”
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1bYc4pMd1IECXl-g2_6RtptDN9mL2oapQhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=145wp_Y9077Es1uD_jf8MS9_O-PTJ7EBThttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1uZOKVXKXn6zWwiagTGrAaRmbYoA4WlL_https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1KxoE3Nd3ENenubjrmf-s7SrmQchaFBLC
After a 1000-foot drop in 1/2 mile down to Horse Gap parking area, and looking at the assent up Sassafras Mountain, which was UP and steeper than we previously went down, we decided that we were done for the day and need to do some serious evaluation of our rig, our agility, and our ability to continue. Both of us were completely physically spent. I feel that I was having some issues with heat exhaustion. Ken was wresting with his own body. We were both needing a time to process the next steps.
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=174jcjVkEAaVlYbGRCjqPEb7RfLgSVI63
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We took a shuttle from the Horse Creek Parking Lot to Dahlonega Georgia. It’s a nice town and home to the University of North Georgia. We are happy to get a meal and a shower to help us think. There is a level of disappointment, but we are doing what we said we were going to do… listen to our bodies. My body doesn’t like me very much right now.

"Yet [Jesus] frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray." (Luke 5:16) I’ve been praying a lot in this wilderness, and I can understand the clarity that we receive without the distractions of everything going on in the chaos of the world. The “noise” doesn’t exist out here. Nature is nature, and the peaceful serenity of being out here is the beginning of my prayer. 

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1V4smDvmDnHo6aNsdrIhlajqY2a5plPqZhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1moTFnJpkXyheVs-jyx_giMYKnUetyat7https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1nXm5qRIjr7jV10ox_tLcjTYyHulRcNXshttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1jyC-idv4yiJRhHDqNCgM0pOOW04mYk2b
I do find that I am able to listen more closely to the things that God may be trying to tell me when I am able to spend some time in the quiet, unplugged, away from the distractions of the world. There are some things that surface when I start to think of this endeavor. I’ve always reached high. Sometimes I’ve fallen flat on my face, but I've kept reaching, pushing myself, expecting more out of myself, knowing that even though I have already made a mark, I have more to give. 

My prayer this evening is that I realize and accept what my limitations are, and work to develop myself in order to grow into what God wants me to be. At this point, we are still evaluating what tomorrow will look like. Whatever happens, it will be the correct decision for us.
Total Miles for the day: 8.95 (1 extra to get water). Total AT miles 3.0 

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This Week!

Weekend in Port Angeles (Turning Point)

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Getting Psyched! - Day 0

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Missouri on Route 66

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Day Two!

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