Fire, Falling, and Fellowship

Pictures
Hours hiked: forever. 6
Bones broken: 2 (none mine)
Clothes changed in 4 days: 0 (I stink)
Russian word learned: accident

It rained all night. The tent I’m sleeping in doesn’t breathe & I’m soaked, cold & frustrated. It’s my job to achieve fire for breakfast – so I’m up an hour before everyone else & literally praying for a miracle (which is granted when I find a dry birch tree to use as fire starter – thanks dad & the boy scouts).

It’s like climbing up a river of flowing chocolate. The mountain is incredibly steep & the rain keeps coming. It takes all my energy to keep from falling – so I memorize verses while I hike (thanks to the Navigators’ B-ble memory system). And I see my first cow cross a bridge on it’s own volition.

So we’re at the top of our first peak with an INCREDIBLE sunset tonight. About 1/2 the group climbs further up the rocks for a better view & we have our first team accident. Lena fell 10 meters and broke her arm in 2 places.

Turns out that boy scout first aid comes in handy again (and so does a master’s in counseling). Lena went into Shock from the fall and needed warming. Thanks to a Nalgene bottle, a fire and a nearby spring – we warmed her up, got her arm splinted and she slept through the night – that part was due to pr-yer I think.

The 3 days of solid rain begin.