STRAWBERRY WILDERNESS

August of 2006 found us llama packing into the Strawberry Wilderness in Eastern Oregon with the Staubs. This entry comes from a journal written at that time about our trip. A visual trip down memory lane in a slide show format awaits your viewing pleasure.Fajitas, campfires, woodsy smell, good friends, what a way to begin our backpack trip into the Strawberry Wilderness, a place I have wanted to go for so long. A deer trekked through our campsite I think attempting to drink from the creek not more than 50 feet from our site. Tomorrow we begin our travels and for a first it will be with four llamas.Didn't get much sleep. Was wide awake at least two hours after everyone turned in for the night. Blankets full of sand must have been from our coast trip earlier this summer. Washed my face, brushed my teeth in glacier water, which refreshed and woke me up a bit. I took a few minutes of solitude to read portions of the Bible and to write. Saw a deer this morning as he was eating breakfast amongst the trees near camp...must have been 5:30 or 6:00 a.m.I am sitting on a rock almost directly in the creek. The sound of rushing waters cutting and forming its way over and through the rocks is loud enough to cause me to get lost in a world that could take me far from the chaos, business, and daily events that flood my life. I sat down and immediately began to feel a wave of peace and calm as if the waters were washing away every day life as I know it presently, refreshing my soul with new vitality. How I long to have a quiet place near a creek, river, lake, or stream.Four miles and four or five hours later, blistered feet, swollen ankle and exhausted beyond all imagination, we made it to our campsite. Approximately 1500 feet in elevation from when we began at 9:00 a.m. this morning. Not bad for two children 10 and 11, and for myself having not been on such a trek as this in quite some time having spent hours on her butt studying for the past two years. The llamas' stamina and capabilities also tested, they succeeded and passed.Oh, the cool water soothed my tired and hot feet, relieving the swelling a bit in my ankle. Flip flops must be the best invention yet, letting your feet breath and feel the freedom from the confinement they experience in the tight laced boots.Our camp was set between two mountain lakes in a basin that resembled a volcanic bowl in the middle of what seems to have been one very incredibly beautiful peak. Both lakes were fresh water lakes and provided us two meals of fresh trout. Behind the upper lake the only company we had were the mountain goats. A person could cut the peace and quiet with a knife, and the knife would get enveloped into it as in a science-fiction story, absorbed into the liquidy bubble traveling into another world. We did not meet anyone on the trail, nor did we see anyone until our return trip. Four days of solitude except for family and friends was heaven itself.The smell of fresh air, the warmth of the sun on the trees, the sounds of birds and lapping of water against the lake banks, the quiet gurgling of the creek fed by the upper lake, and the coolness of the shade, the warmth of the sun upon ones skin, all is what life was meant to be: Only to exist and enjoy the world which God created. I could live here! I could stay here. How I wish I never would have to ever go home.Most backpack trips consist of granola bars, dried fruit, and dry packages of meals only requiring water to be added. It was decided that we all would and could eat in style since the llmas could carry almost everything we needed. Our guide also made certain all comforts of home would be provided within reason. Two large dome tents became home for the next four days. A kitchen of sorts, set up under a tarp consisted of a fold-out table, stools, a water flitering system, pots/pans, and all kitchen supplies. Food was kept fresh in a near by mountain creek. An outdoor shower with the efforts of Joe and Dale provided a simple, but pleasureable place to clean the dust and dirt off our bodies with the water warmed by the heat of the sun. There is nothing quite as exhilirating as taking a shower in the great outdoors. The cool breezes that brush against one's skin, until the warmth of the water against the coolness brings goose bumps causing pleasant little shivers up and down the skin. The tingling sensation that arises from the breezes and coolness of the air as it touches the wet skin causes a person to feel energized and refreshed once again. Putting warm, dry clothes on afterwards enhances the experience as comfort, coziness, and peace invades the soul.Campfires are always a favorite, whether kept going throughout a day as a dutch oven slowly bakes a sweet aromatic dessert or perhaps a roast, while a book is read, maybe a nap enjoyed, or whether the fire burns at night, sending sparks of oranges and reds into the black night from flames that provide warmth and light by which stories are shared, discussions of life invoke stimulating conversation, or one is alone with their own thoughts. Sections of "Undaunted Courage" were read aloud either by Joe or Brenda, laughter was shared, stories exchanged, ideas discussed, sticks carved and popcorn was popped. I can't think of a better place to build and deepen relationships than around a good ole' fashioned campfire.Daily hikes found us at the top of the world, or so it seemed, although we all knew higher places loomed over us. We scrounged through brush to reach a waterfall, some of us getting scraped more than others. Desert wildflowers adorned the fields and mountain sides. The hot sun baked our skin. Streams of sweat trickled down our faces. Smiles spread across our faces at the thought of the memories we were creating and the bond of friendships that were deepening through the exhiliration of the experience accompanied by the joy of just being together. Our children's thrill of accomplishment towards challenges placed before them, conquering fears, reaching heights of 8500 feet in elevation, and determination yieded a sense of pride and exaltation among us as parents, and our friends who experienced the children's overwhelming enthusaism towards all that encompassed their victories.One morning, early after having a few moments of solitude by the lake, Pam and I meandered down a trail paralleling the upper lake until we reached the creek and the foot of the rocky mountain side, upon which one of the mountian goats had made its appearance, grazing in the small meadows high above amidst the rocks. No, they were not just rocks, as one might think of shale that sometimes covers such places. Rather the rocks were boulders, most of magnificent size. After retrieving the food from the creek needed for breakfast, we went back to camp, only for me to quickly gather camera and lens, and put on proper foot wear. I was determined to make my way over those boulders just to see how near I could get to this goat. My climbing did not seem to bother him much, only causing a glance towards my direction every so often. I can only imagine what he thought of this strange creature who looked awkward and so many times off balance in what was every day surroundings for him. However, I did make it succesfully to the first meadow at which point a bit of nervousness must have unsettled this magnificent creature's sense of security for he began to slowly climb further up. He did not move exceedingly fast, stopping to graze and partake of the breakfast God had provided for him. I was allowed to make it approximately within one hundred yards, close enough to see how large this animal truly was, with his stomach almost touching the ground. With my telephoto lens I carefully, but quickly shot as many pictures as I could before returning back to camp. As I turned to head back down the mountainside, the sunrise encaptured me, leaving me breathless and in awe. Part of me wished I could share this experience with someone, and yet it was mine alone, something to share in words, but the experience itself will forever be solely mine. Perhaps this is selfish, but I can't help but think that God allows us to have these moments with Him as a way of breaking through barriers that tend to block true intimacy with our Savior. It's His way of opening our hearts to receive a glimpse of heaven, of eternity, and timelessness in a state of complete spiritual nakedness. Time does not exist in a moment like this. The world seems to stop spinning for a while. No one, or nothing is between you and your Creator. It's a sense of vulnerability being alone witnessing the Creator of the universe displaying His handiwork before your very eyes. My God gave me a glimpse of His holiness and beauty that morning, and it will be as vivid and real to me on my death bed as it was this August morning.Upon the final night we were to spend at this glorious place, everyone agreed these four days in these mountains had been the best vacation spent at any time in our lives. It continues to be remembered with great affection and often comes up in conversation when we all get together. It's difficult to think another such event could ever top this experience, but I am sure that more good times will be had in the future. This particular one will forever though, hold a special place in all our hearts. There is comfort and a gladness that accompanies the knowledge that this time can never and will never be repeated or replaced, foever permanently engraved upon our minds and hearts.