life as it is right now

It's Wednesday, which means I'm a little late in writing this blog. But I have an excuse (you get to decide if it's good)! On Monday the LDP (Leadership Development Program) staff was hiking across the Kinsman ridge trail. We climbed up North and South Kinsman and stayed at the Kinsman Pond AMC site that evening. So I'm a little burnt out from that experience, both mentally and physically. I have the funky crew-sock sunburn line to prove it.

Last week I was in KC for a couple of days, Columbus for a couple of days, and New Hampshire for a couple of days. My feet don't quite know what to do now that they have found the place they will be staying in for two months. I was in Columbus for Chris Gatton and Jessica Davis' wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception was a blast. Usually I describe myself as not having any excitement left for weddings, but this one brought back some. Seeing two people who belong together commit to each other was amazing, and I'm still reeling from the words these two individuals spoke to join themselves together. I'm reminded of when the Bible speaks about angels looking upon salvation with wonder and wanting to understand them. Right now I can't comprehend what it means to do that, and I can only hope that when I meet the person for me I will be a little further along than I am now.

Now I'm at Brookwoods. The first day of our hike, which just so happened to be my first day at camp, was one of the worst ones in a while. I didn't think I could make it, I thought that I would fail as a counselor, and figured that I should just go home. But after the first night I woke up with a new-found hope. It was a similar experience that C.S. Lewis explains in the second book of his space trilogy: the narrator (Lewis) is walking to a house that Dr. Elwin Ransom is staying at and seems to run into some sort of force that doesn't want him there. He starts doubting the truth of Ransom, the sanity of both himself and his friend, and is sorely tempted to turn around. But he makes it through and the rest of the story happens. I don't know if demons influence us that much, but there was a definite force on this hike that didn't want me to be at Brookwoods. This may have been my own self-doubt, but it may have also been something more sinister.

I don't know what the rest of the summer will look like, but these are the things I'm looking forward to:

• Campers coming on Sunday
• Canoeing on the Saco a week from Friday
• The Allagash during week three for eight or nine days. Should probably figure out how long we'll be gone for.
• Six day hike at the end of the summer.
• The opportunity to spend eight weeks with the same people.

I'll try to post once a week, but don't be suprised when it isn't on Monday. My PowerBook G4 isn't on the pack list for these trips, turns out.

Luke
luketlancaster@gmail.com