We went on a hike.

We went on a hike.

Now, you may be thinking “oh, that sounds so nice”… but that is simply not the case. Kyle and decided to go on a hike together to Tallulah Gorge. This has always been on my list of things I would like to do, so I was very excited. However, I had no idea what was in store for me.

First, they give out 100 permits to hike the floor of the gorge every day. This should have been a clear indication to me of what was to come. It was not until after the hike was over that I read the sign in the lobby, which listed the floor of the gorge as an “extremely strenuous” hike.

To begin, we walk around and look at some of the views from the overlooks. These will take your breath away. We are simply in awe of God and nature. Then you walk down a few steps, and by a few I mean something like seven thousand three hundred and eighty-six. You think that walking DOWN steps is easy… but, you are wrong. My knees are broken.

At this point we come to a beautiful platform overlooking a crashing river with a waterfall just behind us. This is where we see the sign “permit required to cross”. That’s us. The permitted ones. How lucky.

As we open the gate to cross the raging river we see a young girl crying on a rock. We ask her what is wrong and she explains to us that she has dropped her phone and it is lodged between a rock and… a snake. I am asking for a description of pattern and wondering how we can cross the river without actually using these rocks when Kyle steps up to the rescue. Now, my husband is wonderful. He is funny, smart, determined and absolutely loves to help people. He will be the first to serve others in their time of need. However, up until this day I had never seen him as much of an outdoors-man. He will occasionally hike, bike, walk, or on a good day – run with me. However, this is simply because he knows that I have a love and need in my heart for it. THIS DAY, he was Mr. Trail Guide. That girl must have thought God had sent her an angel. He grabbed a stick, moved the snake and picked up her phone like he was Crocodile Dundee. So, we are starting out well.

We then attempt to cross the river. You should know that we are crossing on what looks like boulders, twice my size and sometimes several feet apart. I am wondering if maybe we took a wrong turn on the stairs, but here we go…

We get across approximately three rocks and I start praying, “God send me an angel!” At this point a nice young man, who described himself later as a TRAIL GUIDE! Goes ahead of us and tells us where to place our feet in the water so we don’t… you know, fall and die.

We get across and our trail guide is in the far distance with nothing but one footprint showing us the way that he went. At this point I feel like we have definitely gone wrong. Not only are there no paths, signs, or worn walkways – there are rocks. HUGE ROCKS. Everywhere. The only way to get anywhere is to climb.

Now would be a good time to tell you that I am not much of a climber. I once went to a rock climbing facility with high hopes of enjoying the views from a much more elevated state in the future. HOWEVER, about three step holes up I felt like I was going to faint and I decided that it wasn’t for me.

Kyle is gone. Up and over like he was born for this. I begin to feel a little weepy and get going.

I am not afraid of heights.

Or, let me put it this way… I have never really had a fear of heights before Tuesday morning. NOW... I think it is safe to say that I am afraid of heights.

We have climbed down the gorge, and down and down. Over rocks, using trees to pull ourselves up, over more rocks and then.

I would like to pause here to gather the thoughts that surrounded my COMPLETELY PETRIFIED disposition as we pull ourselves over a rock to see the scariest rock face known to man (or at least THIS wo-man). I would liken the angle to… the pits of hell. That is what it was like. Seriously, my shoes are SO slippery from the water and this rock points straight to the river, which runs to a WATERFALL four feet away. My entire body is shaking.

About that time three college-aged girls come racing through as if they were headed to a party. THEY WERE SMILING.

But did I also mention that they were barefoot?

Just as soon as they appeared, they were off. Kyle seems to have no trepidation whatsoever, although I recall him telling me a few times before that he was afraid of heights. I am shaking and wondering how I can crawl across the rock on my knees and elbows when he lovingly tells me to suck it up.

I took my shoes off (what? College girls are smart). And I crossed. It was terrible.

We continue on our path and Kyle is taking pictures and enjoying the scenery and beauty of the moment. I am still shaking and wondering if I am going to die out there.

We get to the end of the hike, which cumulates to a GIANT rock with a waterfall running over it, aptly named “Slippery Rock” which you can slide down into a pool of water to swim.

Kyle wants to do it.

I think he is crazy.

Then he convinces me by saying that I would regret not going down after we had been through all we had been through to get there.

We slide down and the water is so cold I cannot breathe or think or swim... apparently. As I am grabbing Kyles arm and trying to pull him down stream with me. He pushes me towards the rock to CLIMB OUT. Of “SLIPPER ROCK”, might I add? Not fun.

The trail guide is there swimming with his gal. He looks at my distress and just as he starts to come towards me to lend a hand, I manage to make my way out. At this point Kyle slips and slides BACK into the water, only to climb out again.

There are leaches on me.

We rest, relax and dry out.

We now have two options.

Go back the way that we came (which was awful), or cross the slippery rock and go up the other side (70 degree angle for half of a mile). I decide that there is no way on earth that I will attempt anything more difficult than what we have just been through. Simply because, I know we got through the path once and I almost didn’t make it.

So we (I) decide we should go back the way that we came.

I am still barefoot because, turns out, those girls knew a thing or two about hiking the gorge floor, and I didn’t die.

We go back, cross the rocks, turn around a few times, climb, jump, pull ourselves over and then reach the rock face again. I cannot move other than the trembling that has taken over my entire body. I had no idea I would react this way to fear, but low and behold, there I was.

I’ve been praying this entire time, but at this point I begin to think about the Proverbs that speak of God keeping our feet on the right path.

In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths (Prov 3:6).

Your Word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet…

My favorite… “The Lord will be at your right side and will keep your foot from being caught” (Prov 3:26).

I am asking God to direct us and protect us. Kyle is slightly impatient with me as I tell him I just don’t feel ready to cross yet.

He turns around, holds my hand and walks with me.

These are the lessons from our day.

First, we got a great picture of the importance of having a husband as a leader and being a wife who trusts and follows.

Without Kyle I would still be sitting in the gorge crying.

Also, it reminded me of how danger is ON EVERY SIDE of the righteous path. If we considered the dangers of our thoughts and actions as we would if there were a waterfall underfoot, it might be more serious. The danger IS that serious. God desires for us to stay on the right path. He leads, directs and guides us in the ways that we should go. In love, He provides helpers to us. Even one foot that goes astray can land you in deep water.

In the end I crossed the rocks... all of them. Got to the river crossing and held on for dear life to the rock ledge right where the snake once laid. I didn’t care. I just wanted to be done.

I thanked God for bringing us out safely… and then climbed 7,386 steps back to the top.

So, that was our experience. The take away is this… I am glad we did it. I WONT EVER DO IT AGAIN. However, I am grateful God gave us these lessons while surrounded by beautiful scenery. 

And I am grateful for my rugged, outdoors-man of a husband who literally kept me alive out there!

PS. I could barely walk for two days afterward.