Solo Trip

When I was younger, I remember trying to get away by myself on occasions.  But my extroverted self was always miserable without having someone to share the experience with.  My first time backpacking in a National Park was by myself.  It was a disaster.  I ended up sitting depressed in my tent on what was supposed to be a two week hike through the Great Smokey Mountains.  For two days I ate all my beef jerky and macaroni and cheese before limping back out the way I had come in.  In recent years, however, I am learning the value of getting away alone to pray and seek the Lord on important matters.  I've done it several times now and it has always proven to be an experience where God gives me great peace and clarity.  And to satisfy my innate desire to share these experiences I decided to document my most recent solo trip and share it here.  

The rain had been pouring down for five days.  I had my mountain bike in the back of the Jeep and was headed to one of my favorite places to get away to in Paraguay.  As I turned off the paved road rain drummed on the canvas roof.  An occasional drip would make it through and splash on the analog dials of the 92' truck.  Strangely, it gave me an excited feeling, like I was driving a tent through the elements as I slopped over 30 kilometers of mud roads.  Along the way I listened to my Bible-reading and a good audio book, all the while drinking ice-cold tereré.  Finally, I made the slow climb up to Salto Suizo.  To ensure a chill time, I would be staying in a giant wine barrel converted into a one-room cabin. 

After the rains, Salto Suizo's waterfall was swollen.  I had never seen it so full.  From the top, beyond the cascading rapids, a giant plume of mist stretched out over the forest.  I entered in among the darkness of the tress as I made my way down winding stairs that would take me to the bottom of the falls.  The roar grew and wind and water hit my face as I approached the pool into which the water plunged.   

After a good night's sleep in my barrel the sun was shining for the first time in five days.  I was looking forward to a good ride along some single-track on my mountain bike.  After breakfast I took out a pen and paper and mapped out the mountains and valleys of life's joy and pain on a timeline.  From that I extrapolated the personal, masculine, and family values that I have formed over the years.  It was so profound to see this on paper!  I humbly recognized what a rare gift it is to have values worth living and dying for.  For me, this clarity has come from hearing God's voice in His Word and being willing to follow where He has led my family and I.  It's not always safe and is rarely easy but it is the most secure path to be on.  There, sitting under the trees with the distant roar of the waterfall I thanked God for His goodness.  Then I set out on my mountain bike!

After five days of rain the trail was gnarly! Large rocks covered the soft mud. Bamboo lay across the path. If I could get my front wheel over these obstacles my back tire would follow. I slowly cranked up the steep sections of the path. On the downhill sections I would use my back brake to control my speed over and in between the slippery rocks until splashing through a stream and starting another climb. Dozens of yellow butterflies scattered as I rolled through patches of sunlight in the forest. Large blue morpho butterflies actually flew with me, riding on my slipstream in the narrow passages through the woods. I passed cows grazing in pastures with colorful wooden houses overlooking the sloping hills. An occasional cactus plant towered along the side of the trail.

But soon the trail opened up and the hills gave way to one long downhill.  I whizzed down the orange road past a small chapel and brightly colored clothing on barbed wire fences, drying after days of rain.  The climate was perfect!  In Paraguay, it's normally pushing 100 degrees for more than half the year.  This was one of those rare days when the sun was shining and it wasn't too hot.  When I came to a wooden bridge crossing a shady stream I stopped to capture the lush scenery.  I was trying an experiment by brining my DSLR camera with me- combining my two loves of photography and mountain biking.  The one limitation is you can't take any action shots without breaking your camera or worse!  But the quieter moments were easier to capture.  

I started the long climb back up to Salto Suizo and returned covered in mud.  Not only had the trail been sloppy but at one of the narrower stream crossings my front wheel sank into the mud bringing me to an abrupt stop.  I couldn't clip my feet out quick enough and had fallen into the muck with my bike.  It was all part of the adventure and the best part was about to come.  I pedaled past my wine barrel to where the stream poured over the edge of the cliff.  I carried my bike straight down into a pool just above the waterfall.  The cold and refreshing water washed over my bike and me, removing all the mud.  What a great ride!

I now realize that stepping away from the immediate stresses of life to spend purposeful time alone in nature can be so beneficial.  Outwardly, there's little to show for these times.  But the gains that come from the inward clarity and resolve to continue living life purposefully are more than I can express in writing.  The next day, it was already time to hit the road.  The sun was shining so I took the roof off of the Jeep and loaded up my things.  Solo trips are great... and getting to share them isn't bad either!