One For The Road

Final total trail mileage: 118 miles

So this is the end. Yesterday was my last day of work. Today was the last day of services. And tomorrow is the last day of living in Gardiner, Montana. It’s been a summer full of growth and worth and memories. I’m definitely going to miss Yellowstone, and my ministry team and everyone involved with it. But it’s about that time to move on whether I like it or not. I don’t want to leave but I am ready to go. There are things to be excited about after Yellowstone.

Tuesday, I take off, taking the long road home. I’ll visit the Tetons, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, the Grand Canyon, as well as other memorable places. It’ll be a long, possibly lonesome, trip but it’ll be well worth it. There will be plenty of time for reflection and meditation, for prayer and exploration. So please pray for me on my way home. I’ll need as much as I can get.

This is the last blog for the Yellowstone summer, but another is coming. I’ll be journaling throughout my two weeks of traveling and adventuring and will post it later. So look forward to that. I’ll probably post a link on this blog if you want to check that out.

Tentative Schedule for safety reasons (can possibly change):
August 23 – Leave Gardiner, arrive at Tetons, hike Death Canyon Loop to Alaska Basin campground
August 24 – Hike Death Canyon Loop to trailhead, drive to Salt Lake City, camp.
August 25 – Explore Salt Lake, Mormon Temple, drive to Zion National Park, camp.
August 26 – Hike Angel’s Landing, camp.
August 27 – Hike the Narrows, camp.
August 28 –Drive to Bryce Canyon, explore, drive to Arches, explore, camp.
August 29 – Drive to Canyonland, explore, drive to Monument Valley, explore, drive to Grand Canyon, camp.
August 30 – Explore Grand Canyon, drive to Havasupai, camp.
August 31 –Hike Havasu Falls, camp.
Sept 1 – Drive to Petrified National Forest, explore, drive to Albuquerque, visit Natalie Mulhall, camp.
Sept 2 – Drive to Dallas, camp.
Sept 3 – Drive to Mobile, camp.
Sept 4 – Mobile.
Sept 5 – Mobile.
Sept 6 – Drive home.

Moving On

Trails: Partial Cascade Canyon Trail - 3 miles, Fairy Falls Trail – 5 miles, Artist Paint Pot – 1 mile, Mt. Washburn Trail – 6 miles, Electric Peak – 20 miles, Mystic Falls Trail – 3 miles.

Total Trail Mileage: 93 miles

There’s been a lot that has happened. I hope I can remember it all.
P.S. – This blog was written on July 30 no matter what the blog title says.

We’ve traveled the Grand Tetons a little, crossed the Jenny Lake and did some scrambling on some rocks off trail, sang some hymns in a rock fall cave, and had great fellowship in the outdoors.

I did some catching up with ole Lauren Tidwell on a trip to the Fairy Falls with a failed attempt to view Grand Prismatic due to some rain. However, after lunch I managed to go back and get a quick minute-long glimpse of the vivid, multi-colored thermal pond before it started raining once again. I then chased the storm into the Beartooth wilderness, which the road takes you to ‘the top of the world’ or at about 11,000 feet. Watched the sunset at 11,000 feet. And let me just claim it, sunset over Beartooth is the most gorgeous scenery I have ever witnessed. The sad thing is that the glory that is seen is easily forgotten once away. But, nonetheless, I still remember being in absolute awe of the beauty that is of God and is created by God.

Electric Peak is a beast. It’s a 20 mile long journey there and back, peaking at 10,969 feet. Basically all of the elevation gain is done within 4 miles, starting at the base of the mountain and heading up nearly 3400 feet. It was exhausting and incredible. In order to reach the true peak, there was a little bit of scrambling and climbing involved, but the danger is worth the reward (disclaimer: danger is not always worth the reward). The view from the top was absolutely incredible and made all other peaks look pretty tiny. We took it all in, exhausted, excited, resting, and in awe at the landscape 3500 feet below. It’s moments like these that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. God is more creative than we give him credit for.

In three weeks from today, I will be finished with work. In three weeks and one day, we will hold our last Sunday service in the park. In three weeks and two days, I will be headed back home via about six different national parks and monuments.

It’s been going fast but it’s been going good. I’ve really fallen in love with God’s creation in Yellowstone and with my ministry team here. There’s been a lot learned, done, seen, and experienced here that I hope to never forget. Although, I have noticed that some things that I want to hold to memory to keep, like scenery, just remains pretty vague and thin, despite trying to retain them. I have pictures to look back on, but some things are temporary. Some things are to be experienced for the time you have them, some things are to be learned as you experience them, and then those experiences are to be let go of. It keeps us doing the things we need to be doing, going to the places we need to be going, and experiencing the things we need to experience. We are called to where God wants us to go, and those callings are not always permanent. I would argue that most callings are temporary. “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We have things to do. We have places to go. We have experiences to be had and shared. But don’t let the want of reliving previous experiences hold us back to do what will become experiences that we will also cherish.


Grand Tetons



Grand Prismatic Edge

Near sunset in Beartooth

Sunset in Beartooth

Electric Peak

Daily Adventure

Trails: Partial Canyon Rim and Uncle Tom’s Trail – 3 miles, Osprey Falls Trail – 8 miles, Bunsen Peak Trail – 4 miles, Sepulcher Peak Trail– 10 miles, Elephant Back Trail – 4 miles
Total Trail Mileage: 55 miles

It’s already been a over month and I haven’t even scratched the surface of Yellowstone, it feels like. Of course, that’s bound to happen with its 2.2 million acres. But I’m gonna try to do as much as possible. Two Saturdays ago a friend and I took a trip up to Canyon to hike around a little bit, and we were able to do just a little bit seeing as how I had to be back at work that afternoon. So we drove to an overlook of Upper Falls, hiked along the river, crossed the river, and hiked down a good ways for a view of Lower Falls. Another trip is in the making to see more vantage points of Lower Falls. It’s gorgeous. On Sunday night, several of the ACMNP crew plus some friends camped out, chopped down some trees, made a fire, enjoyed the fire and fellowship, and then slept in the cold. The following day, even more of the park-wide ACMNP crew joined together to hike Osprey Falls. I had done this before and planned on going back to take some pictures since the time before the water was way too high and so the waterfall was way too misty. This time it was worse, or should I say better. There was a lot more water coming down. We did manage to do some climbing in order to get as close as possible to the falls. It took some teamwork, but we managed to get several people up and back down safely. Bunsen Peak I hiked sometime during last week before work. It’s a short two mile hike but fairly steep. The views on the way up were gorgeous. You could see the Gallatin Range clearly as well as Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner, and some other peaks that I’m not sure of their names. Once on the top, it was an interesting experience. It was extremely windy. On top of the mountain there was a wind coming from a direction in which there was nothing to hinder its movement. It was a completely unobjected wind. I would guess it was a steady wind of 35 mph. And so of course, I explored the top of the mountain playing in the wind. I did Sepulcher Peak on the 4th which was a gorgeous hike through meadows and flats for the first couple of miles then the trail started meandering up Sepulcher Mountain. The view of the peak was mostly always in view and so I saw where I was going, but I also saw where I wasn’t getting to. However, I did make it to the top, and the top was pretty interesting because it was very rocky and had some neat rock formations, some resembling sepulchers, hence the name. And afterwards in celebration of the 4th, some of the park-wide ACMNP crew got together in Bozeman, the nearest city with a Walmart, which is an hour and a half away, to hang out for the rest of the day and watch some fireworks. Yesterday I visited Lake Yellowstone for the first time. I hiked a nearby trail which led up to a point overlooking the lake and its surrounding mountains. Pictures cannot do this lake any justice. It’s just gorgeous.

I’ve been slowly realizing that I’m not sure what the next step is. The Appalachian Trail is coming next spring, but after that, everything seems to be up in the air. For now, I’m okay with that. I think there’s something to living daily. Actually I think there’s everything to living daily. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot make any plans, but that what you think of as a certainty can change fairly quickly. We’ve been taught to pray a daily prayer and so daily we should recognize God, daily we should ask for provision, daily we should ask for forgiveness, and daily we should ask for guidance. And the more I go along, the more I realize how much adventure is in living for God. He’s a very adventurous God. He’s exciting. And we should be excited. Look at Moses, at Joshua, at David, at Peter, at Paul, at any Biblical character and you will see that in their walk with God there was adventure and there was excitement.


Thermal vents at night during full moon



Yellowstone Lake



Lower Yellowstone Falls

Canyon area at sunrise

Lower Falls from Uncle Tom's Trail

View of Electric Peak from Bunsen Peak Trail

Bunsen Peak Trail

Proverbs and the Prodigal Son

There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them who was greedy for unjust gain, troubling his own household(1), said to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” And he divided his property between them. “My son, be attentive to my wisdom(2): Keep your way far from the forbidden woman, and do not go near the door of her house lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of the foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan when your flesh and body are consumed.”(3) Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living just as a fool is reckless and careless.(4) And when he had spent everything, as wealth gained hastily will dwindle(5) , a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need as wealth brought many new friends, but as a poor man, he was deserted by his friends.(6) So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed the pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself he said, “How I hated discipline and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.(7) The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.(8) How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against you. A wise son hears his father’s instructions, but I, a scoffer did not listen to rebuke.(9) I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me.’”(10) And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. The light of his eyes rejoiced his heart and the good news refreshed his bones.(11) And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said “The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.(12) Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.” But he was angry and refused to go in, and in his hasty temper he exalted folly(13) and stirred up strife.(14) His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.(15) But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”(16) And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. My son, be attentive to my words(17): Keep your heart with all vigilance(18), put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.(19) It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. And just as in water, face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”(20)

Main Text - Luke 15: 11-32
1 – Proverbs 15:27
2 – Proverbs 5:1
3 – Proverbs 5:8-11
4 – Proverbs 14:16
5 – Proverbs 13:11
6 – Proverbs 19:4
7 – Proverbs 5:12-14
8 – Proverbs 13:25
9 – Proverbs 13:1
10 – Proverbs 30:8
11 – Proverbs 15:30
12 – Proverbs 15:33
13 – Proverbs 14:29
14 – Proverbs 15:18
15 – Proverbs 27:18
16 – Proverbs 26:1
17 – Proverbs 4:20
18 – Proverbs 4:23
19 – Proverbs 4:24
20 – Proverbs 27:19

Black and White Special

Trails: Grizzly Lake - 4 miles
Total Trail Mileage: 26 miles

So I finally got to do my sermon on Old Faithful/Supervolcano analogy. I was actually able to do it twice. Once in the morning at the Chapel and then again in the evening at the campground ampitheater. We had about twelve show up for morning service at the chapel. The message went pretty good but it was a little short. After the service and before the evening service I worked on lengthening it a little bit and I felt that it went much better at the campground service. We had about eight or so people at the evening service, however, all of the eight except for two were associated with ACMNP in some kind of way. But nonetheless, it was a good service altogether.

I was able to visit the Old Faithful area and the surrounding basins which is where a good bit of the thermal features are. I didn't do any hikes, but mostly boardwalks through the basins. Old Faithful was pretty awesome to see and to photograph. Just some facts. It erupts every 90 minutes or so. Each eruption lasts about 2 to 5 minutes. Each eruption puts out about 5000 gallons of water. And the average height of an eruption is 145 feet. The only downfall of Old Faithful is that it is so built around. There is an inn, a lodge, and a visitor's center within 500 feet. I realize that it's a main attraction and everything, but I wish that we could at least maintain some of the wildness and naturalness of these things. With all the buildings and parking lots around Old Faithful, it really does take away from the experience.

The other basins with smaller geysers were a lot better. The continuous steam and vapor are pretty incredible, as is the boiling and spurting ponds. It's pretty unreal that you are standing above ground that is so thermally active.

Just Monday, I went on a short hike with a friend, Abigail, who is part of the Mammoth ministry team. The hike was to Grizzly Lake and guess what, we saw a grizzly. But it wasn't even on the trail that we saw the Grizzly, but at the pulloff for the trailhead. There was a bunch of people parked there and we figured it would be a bear somewhere off in the distance. However, while we were still in my truck, the grizzly crossed the road, close to everyone's vehicles and made his way into the field. We sat, watching him in the field for about half an hour, waiting for him to make his way away from the trail so we could start the hike. Yes, we did hike with a bear in the area but he was far away, we kept our eyes on him, and he seemed to be too busy digging in the wet ground for food. And so we continued to Grizzly Lake, apparently aptly named. The hike was two miles in through burnt forests from a fire in 1988 with some burnt trees still standing. The trail was more like an obstacle course as we had to climb over and under fallen trees, and meneuver through muddy and almost marshy ground. Needless to say, it was really fun. We made it to the lake which was surrounded by small mountains with bigger mountains in the background behind. It was pretty, but it still showed evidence of a forest fire.

There are two characteristics of a Christian that I'm finding that makes others' days at least a little better. One is peace, the other is joy, and I guess you can go ahead and tag appreciation along with them. And I'm finding that by simply being calm and joyful at work and with friends that they kinda feed off of that and become more at peace and more happy, even if just a little bit, and even if it is just around you. And really, a simple thank you or I appreciate so and so, it really brightens up someone's day, especially in the work force when people are being dragged down with hard work and long hours. This is where we can be a light in the darkness and in releasing some burden.

I finally was able to find some scenery that allowed me to do some black and white scenes.

Old Faithful








Biscuit Basin (maybe, I can't remember)

Things Are Picking Up

Trails: Osprey Falls – 8 miles, Lava Creek Trail – 9 miles
Total Trail Mileage: 22 miles

So I never meant to start the trend of doing blogs late this soon. But I have been pretty busy.

So I hiked Osprey Falls starting early on a day off. The start of the trail is an old dirt road for a couple of miles, but then it leads to switchbacks which switch their way back down into the Sheepeater Canyon. Apparently at this time, the water level is unusually high and I can tell. Osprey Falls is roughly 150 feet and it was so powerful. Within a minute of hiking in front of it, I was drenched with its mist which was insanely cold since most water flow in the park is due to snow melt. So I managed to find a shielded area from the mist with a view of the waterfall. However, sad to say, because of the mist I wasn’t able to get any pictures. But I’ll eventually go back. And I saw my first Grizzly after I ended my hike, but don’t worry Mom, it was very, very, very, very far off.

I did Lava Creek Trail just the other day which followed along Lava Creek, imagine that. And being that the water level is high and it just rained the day before, I was pretty much skating across a muddy trail for a good portion of the hike, but I kind of enjoyed it. The trail wanders through some hilly areas with a little bit of wildflowers here and there, as well as a few bison hanging out occasionally. The trail ended at the top of Undine Falls, and so I found a good lunch spot and ate a quick lunch and headed back via roadside trails since I didn’t really feel like retracing my steps. And then I went to work.

So speaking of work, I’ve been working shipping /distribution in the laundry facilities for the entire park, and there are only a handful of people that work this shift each night. And the work itself is pretty easy to understand, it’s just a matter of getting all the work done in eight hours. So with that said, I have been promoted to relief lead on the shipping shift, which basically means I take over the responsibilities of the boss on his days off. Last night was my first go at it, and I think it went pretty well, but I can honestly say that I’m glad it’s only two days a week. But with all that said, I think there is something extremely important about hard work and good work ethics for every Christian. And I could pull out some verses and such, but the simple fact is that people will have more respect for you and are more likely to pay attention and listen to what you have to say due to your work ethic. People like hard workers, especially managers. You can be a witness through work. But it’s even more than that. In everything we do, we should do it in such a way that pleases God, and doing just enough to get by or counting on others to pull your weight isn’t glorifying. Christians should not be identified with laziness but with endurance.

This past Sunday was supposed to be our first Sunday to have services, but no one showed up. And this was partially due to the lack of publicity on our part and also due to the cold drizzle all day that day. But the day was not fruitless. It was a good day of fellowship with most of my ministry team since I had not had the opportunity to really hang out with them, seeing as how two got in just the day before, and I have been in Gardiner while the others are in Mammoth.

And so I was supposed to deliver the sermon which I am pretty excited about doing. It can potentially be really good if I do it justice. Here’s the jist: Just as Old Faithful is regular and numerous in its eruptions, so were the sin sacrifices of the Old Covenant, but just as the Yellowstone Caldera explosion will be a once and for all explosion, so was the once and for all New Covenant sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And just as the Caldera explosion will cause Old Faithful to erupt no more, the sacrifice of Christ makes the numerous and regular sacrifices of the Old Covenant obsolete. Plus more parallels to the same things. I’ll use this, this coming Sunday.

Moonlit River


Peaks just south of Mammoth


Grizzly Bear

Being Taught

A short summary about what has been happening the past couple of days. I started my job working in laundry distribution/shipping. This means that I work evenings and get the trucks ready to ship out in the morning. The shift is from 3 to 11:30. And even though it may sound a little unpleasant to some, I really enjoy it since I have all morning and afternoon to do some hiking, exploring, reading, and writing, and what not. So I actually like the shift and the work. Got a roommate. Never see the guy since he works mornings. I’ve been talking to one of the night managers, Alex. He confesses to being an atheist. However, he usually leads the conversation to religion. He’s read the Bible several times as well as the Quran, and even some Buddhist writings. The other day he was asking about the differences in Christian denominations. So he seems to be interested in religion. He admits that what Jesus had to say about moral issues was good, but that’s as far as it goes. However, he did say he may go to one of our services once we start.

I’ve been exploring Mammoth Hot Springs lately. Today I hiked the Beaver Ponds trail which was about 5 miles. I need to get a little more acclimated to the altitude before hiking the longer trails. The bad side to Yellowstone is that it is so spread out that you have to drive to the trailheads which are far apart, very much unlike Yosemite. But the plus side to that is that there aren’t as much people on each trail, very much unlike Yosemite. I’ll attempt to keep track of the trails and mileage.

But now to the main thing I want to write. Since being here, I’ve been learning a few things, and better than that, I’ve been being taught things while being here. 1) Creation alone cannot satisfy a person. 2) About spiritual hunches or tuggings (listening to God). And 3) Treating God like God.

1) Creation along cannot satisfy a person. And for this little section, just to clear things up, creation is anything besides people. This may surprise some people who know me. I can be a pretty quiet guy and am definitely an introvert. I do enjoy a good bit of time alone, especially in nature. However, no one can be satisfied in being alone. “It is not good for man to be alone.” People need fellowship even if they are surrounded by gorgeous creation. Creation cannot replace people and cannot act as a substitute. There are good things that can come spending time alone in the wilderness: reflection, prayer, awe, etc. But time should still be spent in fellowship with other people. Man is God’s most prized creation and we must act as so in fellowship with God and with others.

2) About spiritual hunches or tuggings. I’m not really sure what to call these. Some call them God tugging on your heart, some call them spiritual instincts, and some say they are like spiritual hunches. What I’m talking about is simply God, the Holy Spirit communicating to you. And it takes practice. I’m definitely no expert in the matter, and I’m sure there are books out there that can tell you better than I “How to Listen When God Speaks.” But here’s what I do. No matter how menial the decision, I ask myself which decision is better. I don’t really rationally debate within myself any statistics or anything like that, but I go off of a feeling. I know that at the word ‘feeling’ some may be thrown off. And I think it’s more than a feeling but that’s the best word I could think to use. And just to show how ‘menial’ some decisions can be, I would do this with the way home back in Alabama. Driving back to my house from Huntsville, there are two ways, one by Winchester and one by Ryland. I simply ask which way would be better to go and usually I get a somewhat immediate instinct answer. And it wasn’t always the same. It may sound silly to some reading this, but at least for me specifically, it’s like training for a much bigger future circumstance that I need to follow the communicating of the Holy Spirit in order for me to be in the right place at the right time. Some people will know what I’m talking about. The reason I’m writing this is because I had a little bit of affirmation in this area just yesterday. I drove a friend up to the Mammoth Clinic around 9 or so and he had to be there until after 11. I drove around for a while, parked at an overlook of a waterfall and sat for a little bit. After a while, I figured I’d just go back to Gardiner for a little bit, fix me something to eat, and then come back up. At the junction to go back to Gardiner, or to go to Mammoth, I had a notion that I shouldn’t go back. It wasn’t very strong. But I decided that I might as well go to the Hot Springs, walk around for a little bit and see what happens. While I was deciding this, I thought that it might be one of those spiritual notions or hunches or whatever so I followed it. On reaching the Hot Springs, there was a guy who was hitchhiking. I picked him up, and he told me he wanted to go the Canyon, about thirty miles away. So I did. From what I could understand, his name was Nicolai. He was from France and was hitchhiking his way throughout the Northwestern US. We didn’t talk a whole lot. We did some introductory conversation but his English wasn’t the best. However, I do think that this was something concrete that came from a spiritual notion. It could’ve been a coincidence, but I don’t think so. It could have been an answer to his prayer. It could have simply made the guy’s day a little better. It could have delivered him to someone else who could talk to him about God in good timing. It could have been God blessing him. Or it simply could have been just a little bit of training for me. Whatever it was, at least in my life, this is how God communicates to me, or at least one way. But I think this way of communication is extremely important in how we make decisions and how we conduct our lives.

3) Treating God like God. I realize this is a very broad topic and there are a whole lot of things that can be said. On the drive to Yellowstone and for a couple of the first days, I was feeling disconnected with God. I was questioning why this was. It could have been for several different reasons, or even combined reasons. The sentence that popped in my head was this: treat God like God. And the first thing to treating God like He is God is in His name. God is represented by His name more so than any of us are represented by our name. Among friends if someone talks about Jared, they know who is being referred to and the characteristics of this person. However, if you get out of this group, the name Jared, or even Jared Carter isn’t very representative. I am not the only Jared. But God is the only God, even though people don’t necessarily agree with this. And because God is the only God, His name is extremely representative of Himself. So when we use the word god or the name God loosely, it damages His representation. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” It’s not a matter of dos and don’ts. It’s not a matter of what is considered a cuss/curse/swear word and what isn’t. It’s a matter of reverence. We are not giving the reverence and respect due to God when we use it in any context out of what it should be in. This includes God, Jesus Christ, holy, and in my opinion, even hell. God and Jesus Christ are obvious because they are names. Holy shouldn’t accompany anything out of context because that is the overall characteristic of God and the only reason anything is holy is because God has counted it as so or made it so. Hell is a creation of God for His purposes. It’s not a pretty picture. But Hell is where God’s wrath is shown. And even using hell out of context isn’t treating God as God. Some people may think I go too far with this. But for me, I’m trying not to use words that name God, describe God, and are attributed to God out of context so that it lessens the effect and representation of God. And I’m finding that I use them out of context way too often.

I hope this wasn’t too rambly.


Mammoth Hot Springs

Local Wildlife (Dad would love this place)

Follow the Yellowstone Road

So I made it safe and sound to Yellowstone late yesterday night, camped out over night and woke up to snow. Needless to say, it was pretty cold. But for the trip recount. From Gurley, Alabama to Yellowstone, Wyoming: around 30 hours of driving, 6 states, 15 mountain dews, and a pound of beef jerkey. Nothing of real interest until I hit South Dakota where I drove through and hiked a little in the Badlands. If The Hills Had Eyes had yet another sequel, I imagine that it would take place in the Badlands. It's creepy but it's still a very interesting place to see, and well worth the visit, however, for those interested, I wouldn't make it the destination of your trip. Visit it along the way to something else. The reason being is that I don't see it taking up more than one day in exploration. And I now know from personal experience why they say not to hike in the Badlands right after a rain. Everything turns into mud. So I only hiked a little. From there I hit up Custer State Park where I saw my first ever American Bison, or buffalo, whatever you would like to call it. It was a nice drive through. I could probably spend a little time there but again, not a final destination. From there the Black Hills. And sooner or later I happen on a little sign that says Devil's Tower: this way. So I went this way. I originally wanted to make it to Yellowstone a little early however I knew I would regret not going to Devil's Tower since there's no telling if I could ever visit there again. So I did it. And it was extremely worth it. Let me just tell you that there is nothing in the surrounding areas of the Devil's Tower to even hint that such a thing is around. It's pretty ridiculous. If you don't know what the Devil's Tower looks like, well you're in luck. There's a picture below. But don't look now. Keep reading. I thought the drive through South Dakota was one of the most incredible drives I've done, and then I got into Wyoming, even more incredible. The views were always changing from great scenery to great scenery but much different from each other. Bighorn National Forest was well worth the drive over their mountains, or at least half worth it. I couldn't see a thing going over the mountains, but coming down the mountains was gorgeous, although I was tense the whole time due to the steepness and curvyness of the road. My brakes were smoking afterwards. So I stopped, let them cool down a bit, and took a hike down a roadside path to a canyon river. And then onward through Wyoming, more plains in which I saw a storm from afar, more mountains and more scenery which I can't describe which is why I took pictures. Eventually I arrived at the gates of Yellowstone. Hooray! But no, the gates did not open until 8 pm due to avalanche risks, and was further delayed until 10 pm due to an actual avalanche that needed cleaned up. But fear not, I'm here. I'm safe. In all of this though, there was something odd. I'm not entirely sure I like the greater, bigger mountains of the west more than the humble, homey mountains of North Alabama and of the Appalachians in general. I always assumed that the high peaks and rugged, bare terrain appealed to me more. They do appeal to me. But maybe it's simply because grew up with the green humble mountains that they appeal so much to me. If I had to say one or the other, I would lean to the green humble mountains.

The Badlands - South Dakota

The Devil's Tower - Wyoming

Shoshone National Forest - Wyoming