Black Hills – Robyn Mulder

Gary and I spent some time in the Black Hills of South Dakota this week. We enjoyed some time away and did some hiking.

One morning we started at Mt. Moriah Cemetery and hiked to the White Rocks near Deadwood, SD. The first part of the trail wasn’t bad, but after a while we came to this fork.

Gary headed up the hill and I followed. It got more steep the further we went. I started to imagine my boot slipping and a long fall back down to the road. I went slower and slower and finally I could go no more. I couldn’t take another step and I couldn’t imagine turning around and walking down that steep incline.

Tears came and I finally just turned around and sat down. I scooted forward a few inches at a time, fighting unsuccessfully to stop crying. Gary called down from above, “Just stand up!” He could see another narrow path off to my left that I could take and it wouldn’t be as steep. I scooted a few more feet and finally was able to stand and find the other trail.

Here’s Gary on the trail I eventually took. The burned log to the right was as far as I got on the steep trail.

Here’s the top of the steep trail. We both took the more gradual path on the way down.

I really think I talked myself into a little panic attack before I had to sit down on the trail. Sure, the trail was pretty steep, but I’ve done lots of hiking. It wasn’t super dangerous and I probably wouldn’t have gotten badly hurt if I had fallen, but I kept picturing myself slipping and falling with each tentative step.

When I started crying, part of it was from fear, but a big part of it was disgust at myself for having to turn around and admit defeat.

At least there was another path, and it was only a few feet away. Once I stood up and moved forward again, I felt better.

I’m glad I pressed on. This is the view that we enjoyed at the top:

This experience reminded me, once again, that how we think affects how we feel.

I couldn’t make it up the hill because I was thinking, “I’m going to fall…This is too steep…I can’t do this!”

Gary made it up that trail. Other hikers had gone before us and formed it. Even now, I wonder if I could have made it if I had fought the panic and tried thinking, “I can do this! This isn’t so bad. I’ve hiked in lots of steep places before.”

Maybe I’ll give it another shot if we ever go hiking there again, but for now I can work on fighting the panic* that threatens to derail me once in a while in my everyday life.

In those moments, I can practice saying, “God’s with me. I’m okay. I can figure this out. This isn’t the end of the world. I can handle anything that happens.”

And then I can enjoy a sense of accomplishment once I get through it.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Have you ever fought feelings of panic? How can focusing on God help you to calm down and move forward in spite of your fears?

*Please note: I’ve never had a true panic attack, and I’m not trying to make light of them at all. If you experience the debilitating symptoms of panic attacks, you may need to talk to your doctor or a therapist and get more help than just thinking positively.

I fully intended to get back to Focus Friday after my Terrific Tuesday last week, but it seems that moods don’t magically lift just because you write a blog post about them.

Friday was a rough day. I had trouble focusing and I felt like I was going to the cupboard constantly even though I wasn’t hungry. When our daughter Erin called, I got a little weepy for no reason, and I thought about just going to bed at about seven o’clock instead of going over to practice for praise team at church. We were supposed to go play cards with our friends after that and I was afraid I would be too down and weepy to have any fun.

I gave myself a little pep talk and went over to church. Amazingly, I felt much better by the time we got done practicing. The words of the songs went right to my heart and I remembered how much God loves me and how much I need to “Trust and Obey,” even when I don’t feel like it.

The card playing went well. Us girls beat the guys in two out of three games of cribbage. I don’t know, maybe I would have cried if we had lost all three, but spending time with our friends got me out of my head and into a better place emotionally.

That’s what I want us to focus on this week. Doing life together, not staying isolated and just thinking of ourselves, and helping each other along life’s way.

I got to experience some of that recently when Gary and I took a couple of days to visit the Black Hills.

We had to begin our time visiting some famous faces, of course. We hiked around the little loop trail that lets you get close enough to look up into the presidents’ noses. We talked to a few people from other parts of the country, visiting Mount Rushmore for the first time.

We pitched our little tent at a primitive campground and got up the next morning ready to do some serious hiking. We got our poles, hats, and packs ready and headed out to hike to Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak).

On the way up I thought about how much better it is when we hike with others. I mean, hiking alone is fine, but there’s something about sharing the experience with someone special that makes it even better.

Part way up Gary and I saw a squirrel carrying something. We looked closer and saw a tail. She scampered up a tree and set the strange bundle down and we were surprised to see the lump begin to move and turn into a baby squirrel. The mom ran back down the tree and we watched the baby walk around unsteadily, almost falling off the branch a couple of times. Some hikers came up behind us and we were able to point out the little creature to them. Mama squirrel didn’t come right back with another baby, so we pushed on.

At another spot we stopped at a point where two trails merged. A hiker coming behind us pointed to the path we should take to the peak. We thanked her and said we were just resting. She explained that the other path was a different route we could take to get back to Sylvan Lake, and there was a cool spur we could take that would go to Little Devil’s Tower if we wanted to. It was obvious this lady had hiked this route many times and we were glad to have some ideas for other trails to take instead of just going down the same way we had come up.

At one point a man pointed out a deer he had just seen cross the trail. We peered into the trees along the trail and could see the deer, something we would have missed if the guy hadn’t seen it first.

It felt good to meet people on the trail every once in a while, reassuring us that we were going the right way and also that someone would find us if we got hurt along the way. (It didn’t feel as good to be passed by hikers coming from behind. Man, I’m out of shape!)

See the little white dot in the center of this picture? There are rock climbers up there!

It might help all of us to think about “hiking together” through life.

We can point out things we’ve seen and lessons we’ve learned on our journeys. We can appreciate the insights and experiences of others who are farther along on life’s trail. We can point others in the right direction when they seem lost, and we can find exciting new adventures as we listen to advice from seasoned travelers.

We can be inspired by the “life hikers” who choose to do amazing things (Like the rock climbers we saw while hiking. It seemed like every time I looked up I saw someone standing on top of a high peak). We can encourage our fellow travelers who are too afraid to even get on the main path.

We can take time to see the beauty in life, sometimes hidden in the unlikeliest of places.

Beautiful little blue flowers in the crack of a rock close to a high peak.

Whether hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota or journeying through life, the climb is worth it. The views will be spectacular and we can grow and learn from every step we take.

Keep going, everyone. Let’s keep hiking together!

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84:5 NIV)

How are you hiking lately? Alone or with others? How can focusing on God help you to enjoy the journey more and keep going?

Tag: Black Hills

Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Fighting the Panic

Spectacular Sunday: Let’s Focus on Hiking Together