Last Saturday, I went kayaking with two of my younger friends on Moores Creek. There was nothing special about the creek, outside the fact that it is a local creek known for lots of wildlife and the fact that there was a famous Revolutionary War battle fought on this creek. What made this trip special was the fact that I got a chance to hang with these two friends and doing something together that we enjoy.
As I reflect back on the kayaking trip along Moores Creek, I am thinking about how busy most of us are today and how we fail to take the time to enjoy the gift of those around us. To me, it seems that we are so busy with trying to live the life we think we should be living, that we fail to grab a hold what the life we were created to live. For me this means that I get so focused on what I am doing at that moment, I fail to remember that there are people around me who need me. I get self-centered and only think about what I want.
For me, getting away from the rat race of the world around me, give me a chance to disconnect from the world and a chance to reconnect with who God made me to be. Saturday gave me a chance to get to know my two friends on a more personal level. A chance to know what makes them laugh, where they are at in there walks, some of their hopes and desires, a chance to learn what they are wrestling with in life. Why is that important? God made me and the rest of us to be someone who is a giver, not someone who is always taking from the world around me.
Each of us wants to be remembered for something in the life we have been given. We all strive to do something in our lives that is big and earth shattering. We believe we need to be known for something big like being the first man to step on the moon, or some great leader who brought world peace or cured some deadly sickness. All these things are good, but the reality is that most of us are normal people and will never accomplish something big like those things. But what if we began to see the big difference we could make in the lives of those God has chosen to place around us? What if I began to see the difference I could make in the life of my wife, my daughters and son, and my son-in-law, just by being a husband and father that truly loved them more than the things around me? What about the relationship with the other people around me? What difference could I make in their lives?
For me, I need to make the most of every opportunity I have been given. To be who God called me to be. Only He know the big picture and just maybe, the part that I place in someone’s life could be earth shattering, changing their life for the better.
Author: admin
Why I Enjoy Backpacking
I have been asked many times over the years why I enjoy backpacking so much. Well, I am not sure there is a single answer for that question. There is both the physical and the mental challenge that in like placing myself. Of course, there is the adventure aspect of backpacking. Carrying everything you need for a week on your back while traversing 50+ miles of wilderness. Not knowing from one moment to the next what is up ahead. Maybe it is the friendships that I have developed over the years while backpacking in the wilderness with buddies of mine. Of course, those of you who know me well understand that I really enjoy the whole outdoor experience.
I remember several years ago backpacking in the Pecos Wilderness Areas just outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico. My friend Wayson, his son and I were on a four day hike to Hermits Peak. This is a 10,880 foot peak in the New Mexico Rockies. There are many things that I will always remember about this trip, maybe because this was my first ever backpacking trip in the Rockies. Up until that time, I had only backpacked in the southeast. I remember how cold it got in the mornings and this was in July. I remember the adventure of crossing the same creek 29 times on the 9 mile uphill hike the first day. I remember the painting that God created just for me and my friends as we sat on Hermits Peak watching the sun rise on our last day. What a breath taking view!
This summer I took my son Joseph on his first 50+ mile backpacking trip. What a blessing it was to be with my son his first long backpacking trip. We even covered the same part of the Appalachian Trail that I did on my first 50 mile trip back in the summer of 1974. So there were many story’s that I had forgotten about my first hike on the AT that I got to share with him. Yes, he even laughs at me on some of them. But on this trip, I began to see my son not just as a teenage boy, but as a young man. To watch him struggle and overcome a hard 13 mile day; and be willing to do it all over again the next morning. To see the life lessons he has learned be applied each day with the responsibility he had on the hike. What a wonderful way to spend a week.
The funny things that happen on different backpacking tips that seems to be shared over and over again. To buddies of mine (Jim Sowell and Don Hamlin) and I had hiked into Addis Gap Trail Shelter (Appalachian Trail) on a VERY COLD January night many years ago. The cold was not the funny part nor was the hike that afternoon. I seem to remember it being a really hard hike, maybe due to the extra weight we were carrying because of the extreme cold that weekend. The funny part was as we set around the fire that night trying to warm up. It seems that I got one of my boots so close to the fire that the sole started to pull away from my boot. The heat from the fire has actually heated my boot up so much that the sole completely separated from the boot and fell off. This was quite hilarious to Jim and Don, and eventually I found the humor of it. (Since that trip, I have always carry some duct tape.) I can just here the retelling of this story the next time Jim, Don and I get together for a trip and all the laughter we will have. Oh, then there is the time that I got hit on the head by a falling branch as I was gather in fire wood. I had better stop now with those stories. I can see Jim and Don rolling on the floor in their homes laughing now.
So why do I like backpacking so much. These are just a few of the reasons. If you are looking to create some memories with your family and or fiends, why not try a weekend backpacking trip, who know it could change your life.
Kayaking on the Black River
Kayaking on the Black River / August 11, 2010
Yesterday, James MacLaren, Joseph (my son) and I spent the day paddling the Black River from Ivanhoe Road to Beattys Bridge. I was not quite sure what to expect on this trip, since this was my first adventure on the section of the Black River. You know the feeling, will the effort to get there and paddle this section be worth all that I have heard and read about this paddle. It was only a 3 hours and 35 minute float, so it could not be so bad.
As we drove to the launch site, the hot steamy summer weather of Southeastern North Carolina was kicking in and somehow I know it was going to be HOT! Yet we were rewarded with a beautiful river with plenty of opportunities to pull over and enjoy the shade of large trees. The Black River is formed by the confluence of Great Coharie and Six Runs Creek, just south of Clinton, North Carolina. The South River flows into the Black just south of Ivanhoe. Eventually the Black flows into the Cape Fear River just north of Wilmington. The Black River has been known for excellent water quality and was designated as an Outstanding Resource Water Resource in 1994.
As we began our adventure, the first thing that we noticed was the beauty of the surrounding forest that the Black River flows. We saw numerous large bald cypresses that would have taken all three of use to stretch our arms around. Cypress swamps are an amazing part of the eco-system. We tend to think that they are a damp dark place, but they play an important part of the local eco-system and are quite beautiful. The other thing that struck me was the number of white sand bars that there were along the river. Yesterday the river was low, due I guess from the lack of rain over the past several months here in, southeastern NC. But even at normal water levels there would be many sand bars to enjoy on a hot day.
Wildlife was abundant along this section of the river. We saw wood ducks, a wild turkey, several huge great blue herons, numerous other birds and even one alligator. The good thing is that he saw us coming before I spotted him, and he started heading the opposite direction from where we were headed. (In all honesty, gators pose very little danger to kayakers, not unless you start messing with them) We also saw numerous alligator gar fish. These fish are ancient fish that have a leathery skin and have a snout that looks like an alligator snout. I guess that is how they get their name. We saw several that were at least the length of my arm.
All in all, this was a great place for all levels of paddling. I even located a few excellent camping spots on some bluffs that over look the river. I have to remember these locations for a future overnight kayaking trip.
First Blog
As I sit here attempting to write this very first blog for Mahanaim Adventures, I am not quite sure where I should begin. So many things are running through my head, so many things that I want, or at least feel that I should say. I seem at a loss for the right words for my first blog, for those of you who know me real well, I know that is hard to believe. So stick with me as I jump feet first into this for the very first time.
Why the adventure business, why guide people on kayaking and backpacking adventures? As I consider this question myself this morning, I began to realize that there is an element of Faith in any adventure, no matter what the adventure may be. So what is Faith? Faith “is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.” This was taken from Hebrews 11:1, “The Message”. The NIV Bible says it this way, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In reality, Faith is what gives us the courage to step out of our comfort zone and out onto the water to experience life as God created it to be.
As a Christ Follower, I can’t have a relationship with my creator much less ever hope to live in a way that will honor Him without Faith. I can’t embrace the life I have been created to live without Faith. It is simply impossible. In some respect Faith is an adventure. Webster defines adventure as “an uncertain undertaking, an unusual or exciting experience”. Stop and think for a moment about Lewis and Clark, Ernest Shackleton, or some other explorer from history. Consider King David, or Jesus’ earthly parents Mary and Joseph. These are people in history who have had awesome adventures and it took great personal Faith to step out and follow that adventure.
For me, this new adventure is not so much about creating a job for me to earn a living. It is more about continuing to learn how to live the life that God has so generously given me. Like most of you, I want safety and security; I want to know that all will be OK and that I can provide for my family’s needs. Yet without stepping out of the boat and onto the water, life can become mundane and even boring, void of real life. Faith is required for my adventures. Faith in God. So, join me and step out of our safe harbor and adventure out into a life of Faith and adventure.
Welcome!
Welcome to our blog! Everything is new now, but check back in the coming week for updates & pictures from recent adventures!