
THE LAKE TRAIL A Trail of Enlightenment, Encouragement
and Illumination Latest edition February 14, 2009

Welcome, Hiker, to the Lake
Trail ! There are indeed hundreds of lake and river trails throughout
the western United States. While on this particular trek you'll be allowed an
extraordinary journey along a prime selection of those trails, hiking among
some of the most distinguished God-made monuments on the earth. You will
learn how these true monuments were formed a mere 5000 years ago by the
prevailing waters of a cataclysmic, global deluge; the great Flood of Noah.
(time approximate; 2460 BC)
Amidst these vast,
spiritually enlightening areas of creation, as you discover the real
significance of water, you can become truly nourished from the things which God
has made. This particular nourishment will serve to dramatically increase your
understanding of God as well as that of yourself... Each of us have positive
abilities and special purpose, creatively designed just to befit us. We also
share in a most significant common purpose. The privileged time you're about to
spend along the Lake Trail may serve to greatly illuminate your thinking
in each of these critical areas of knowledge...
We will be taking
several day hikes (perhaps a few nighttime ones as well) onto the Lake
Trail, and we're most enthused that you've chosen to hike this particular
Trail of Truth along with us. All you have to do now is put your Bible,
perhaps a notepad, some drinking water and a few snacks into your daypack,
bring along a hiking stick and we'll be on our way! Oh, yesdon't
forget your mental camera Got everything?... Let's go
hikin'...
 ¤ Raindrops ¤ Waters' Wonders
¤ Canyon of Worry ¤ God and Arches ¤ Into
the Monuments ¤ The Way of the Eagle ¤ Campfire at
Canyon Spring
DAY HIKE #1
Raindrops keep fallin' on my
head...
|
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He
gives rain for the earth, and sends waters for the field...
(Job 5:10)
We're hiking in the rain today... It is indeed a
special time to hike. The wine country of northern California has been drenched
with rain for several weeks now. Hard rain, soft rain, intermittent rain, rain
mixed with windyou name it, we've had it. It has been of course a
remarkable display of Gods' handiwork; from the medley of downpours, to a
variety of impressive cloud formations, explosions of thunder and breathtaking
streaks of lightning as well. Some folks don't like rain. Perhaps they
would do well to consider it under a different light. Rain can be a
needed comfort to the soul; inspiring, soothing, having a tranquil and even
medicinal effect, whether you're under a tin roof, an umbrella, or just walking
under the hood of a raincoat or poncho. Even very intense rain can be
captivatingly exquisite.
Rain always has a purpose. Appreciating rain
is something we learn to do through an understanding of its creator. The
first rains in history came upon the earth about 5000 years ago, as a prelude
to the great Flood of Noah. These rains served to save Noah and his family
(1st Peter 3:20,21), and subsequently reshaped the earth
geographically as we now know it. Our current weather regime serves to develop
our seasons, water the earth and cleanse the air that we might enjoy the
natural splendor of the extraordinary planet upon which we live. Following any
given rainstorm we may have the good fortune to observe a rainbow; God's
reminder to us of the great Flood, and a reminder of His promise to never again
destroy the entire earth with water (Genesis 9:12-17). I
find then that while under the blanket of any type of rainy weather there comes
a time to remember, to reflect, and to give thanks...
I have often sat
on the back porch during this year's rainy season. Just the sound of the rain
against the roof, or on the surface of the ground, has indeed served to calm my
spirit and relax my physical body during these trying times in which we are now
living. I have on occasion donned my old army poncho and hiked some distance
from home here during times of the heavier downpours. I have a little park
nearby that has a small lake within its borders, where I like to go and say my
prayers and commune with God. Rainfall serves to make these special times of
meditation even more glorious...
The rain on my face is a welcome
embrace from the Lord. I long to walk with Him in the rain as with a close
friend. I quite often think of my children during these encounters with the
rain. Of course, they are no longer children. In fact they are all grown up and
each have their own families. Yet, I continue to be with my adult children in
spirit, knowing that the pure, sweet scent of rain is like pleasant
conversation with them. I always thank God for blessing me with their spiritual
presence. Though they are physically distant they are truly near. I hold them
and embrace them in the rain as the Lord embraces me. Thus, rain is certainly
once again a comfort.
I have been attracted to rain from my youth. Bold
thunder and lightning have always thoroughly impressed me. During my army basic
training, in 1963, I once marched twenty miles in a heavy downpour of rain with
fellow soldiers, set up camp amid lightning and thunder, and then laid on my
back in a pup-tent, contemplating the wonder of that everlasting rain as it
beat rhythmically on the surface of my cozy little shelter. It was quite
inspiring and definitely medicinal after that long day's march. The Lord has
most graciously passed that simple appreciation onto my family...
I
received a card from my daughter (Carrie) recently. There was no special
occasionshe just has a habit of doing very thoughtful things for me once
in a while. Anyway, there was a picture of a heavy rainstorm on the front of
the card, with a young girl (a duckling in human form) smiling from under an
umbrella. The caption read; Even on the rainiest day,... I then opened
the card where the caption was completed; You bring the rainbow ! My
daughter had added a short, handwritten note within the card; telling me that
she missed me, hoped to see me soon, and thought of me often. I haven't asked
her, but I am sure that a rainy day back there in Ohio prompted her to send
that blessing, which now remains, sacred, atop a shelf at my desk.
Rain. Once again, a time to remember, to reflect, to give thanks, and a
time to increase your understanding as well. It has given me much insight into
the untold pleasures related to being aware of God. I hope you too have learned
to be sensitive to the wonder of rain. It is, without question, a heavenly cure
for the weary, lonely soul. Respect it. Enjoy it. Learn from it and honor it.
God will indeed bless you.
"Hear, Oh earth, the words that I say! My
teaching will fall on you like rain; my speech will settle like dew. My words
will fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young
plants." (Deuteronomy 32:1,2)
DAY HIKE #2
Waters' Wonders |
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On
that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows
of heaven were opened... (Genesis
7:11)
Before we hike any further on the Lake Trail, it
would be really good for you to understand (if you don't already know) just how
all of our lakes and rivers got to be where they are; geographically. The more
popular scientific opinion of today tends to obscure the true origin of our
water sources, and we wouldn't want you to have a shaded picture of what
actually took place here. Our purpose on this trail, as well as our purpose on
the High Sierra and Desert Trails, is to help you to understand
more about God through the things He has made. Since the Lake Trail is
the mother, so to speak, of the remaining trails, we will endeavor to paint an
overview of water formations here, where it all began.
Note:
This particular teaching could have been included on the Trail of Time,
yet we are concerned here on the Lake Trail with the earth after
the great Flood, mainly because it is the post Flood earth that you're most
familiar with. (For a look at the geophysical and geographical condition of the
pre Flood earth, or the origin of plants, animals and mankind, you'll want to
hike the Trail of Time through both the In the Beginning and
Mirror Lake trail junctions.)
The great worldwide Flood of Noah
took place about 2460 BC. Most Biblical students know that when God commands
something, it happens. Exactly how it happens is sometimes a scientific
mystery. For the great Flood, one theory is that God allowed several meteors to
hit specific areas of the earth, causing a 23½ degree tilt on its axis.
This tilted position of the earth, which we now have, accounts for the Arctic
and Antarctic regions of the two poles and for the seasons of the year. The
collisions of the meteors may have brought about violent cosmic revolutions on
the earth which resulted in the great Flood. The largest meteorite crater
discovered to date, within this country, is in Arizona. It is a half mile wide
and 600 feet deep. It was caused by a meteorite, one mile in diameter, that
probably disintegrated upon impact. Fragments of it can still be found in the
surrounding desert by using a metal detector. There could however be much
larger craters below the earth's surface, now of course unrecognizable; filled
in and buried by Flood sediments.
It's time now to gather the paints
and brushes of your brain together and begin to create the following mental
picture as I relate its particular details to you: We can see on our planet
seventeen very strange features, which can now be systematically explained as
the result of a cataclysmic, global Flood, whose waters erupted from
subterranean chambers, with an energy release exceeding the explosion of ten
billion hydrogen bombs! This explanation (The Hydroplate Theory) shows us
just how rapidly major mountains formed. It explains the widespread coal and
oil deposits, the rapid continental drift. Why, on the ocean floor, there are
huge trenches and hundreds of canyons and volcanoes. It explains the formation
of the layered strata (layers of soil and rock) and most of the fossils. The
frozen mammoths. The "so called" ice ages, and major land canyons, especially
the Grand Canyon.
The pre Flood earth probably had only one very large
super continent, covered with lush vegetation. The earth may have been
surrounded by a large vapor canopy, much like the canopies which surround Venus
and Jupiter. The climate of the earth was subtropical, about 72° F
year-round, and storms, cold temperatures, snow and rain were unknown during
the 1,656 years that the earth existed prior to the great Flood. Within the
canopy the earth was much like a giant greenhouse. There were seas and major
rivers. The mountains were smaller than today's, but perhaps 9000 feet high.
According to the hydroplate theory, the pre Flood earth had a lot of
subterranean (below ground) water, about half of what is now in our oceans.
This water was contained in interconnected chambers, forming a thin spherical
shell about half a mile thick, perhaps ten miles below the earth's surface. The
Bible refers to this subterranean water when it speaks of a "mist" that came up
from the ground and watered the whole earth. Todays' water geysers, found
throughout the world, are but a remnant yet profound evidence of this initial
system.
Increasing pressure in the subterranean waters stretched the
crust of the earth, much like a balloon stretches when the pressure inside
increases. Failure in the crust began with a microscopic crack which grew, in
both directions, at about three miles per second. The crack, following the path
of least resistance, encircled the globe in about two hours. As the crack raced
around the earth, the overlying rock crust opened up like a rip in a tightly
stretched cloth. The subterranean water was under extreme pressure because of
the weight of the ten miles of rock pressing down on it. As the rock crust
opened up, the water then exploded violently out of the rupture. Along
this globe encircling rupture fountains of water jetted supersonically, up to
almost twenty miles into the atmosphere.
The spray from these enormous
fountains produced torrential rains such as the earth has never experienced,
before or after the Flood. The Bible states that, in one day, all the
fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were
opened (Genesis 7:11). Scientists believe that the
"windows of heaven" being opened was indeed a collapse of the encircling vapor
canopy, and that some of the water descending from this canopy met with water
jetting upward from the rupture into the cold stratosphere, where they both
froze into super cooled ice crystals, producing some massive ice dumps;
burying, suffocating, and instantly freezing many animals, including the frozen
mammoths of Siberia and Alaska.
The high pressure fountains eroded the
rock on both sides of the crack, producing huge volumes of sediments that
settled out of this muddy water all over the earth. The sediments trapped and
buried plants and animals, both large and small, all over the earth, forming
the fossil record. The erosion continued to widen the rupture. Eventually the
width was so great that the compressed rock beneath the subterranean chamber
sprung upward, giving birth to the mid oceanic ridge that wraps around
the earth like the seam of a baseball. The continental plates, the hydroplates,
still with lubricating water beneath them, slid down hill away from the rising
mid Atlantic ridge. After the massive, slowly accelerating continental plates
reached speeds of about 45 miles per hour, they ran into resistances',
compressed and buckled. The portions of the hydroplates that buckled down
formed ocean trenches. Those that buckled upward formed mountain ranges. This
is why the major mountain chains are parallel to the oceanic
ridges from which they slid.
The hydroplates, in sliding away from the
oceanic ridges, opened up very deep ocean basins into which the flood waters
eventually retreated. On the continents, each bowl shaped depression or basin
was naturally left brim full of water, producing many post Flood lakes. The
Flood and its receding waters formed some of the most beautiful hiking country
in the world. Some refer to it as wasteland. I think they need to rethink their
conclusions... Within this continent alone; Death Valley, Grand Canyon,
Monument Valley, Arches National Park, the deserts of the great southwest and
many other "monuments", to include our great mountain ranges as well as other
wonders, all places that you will at sometime visit here on your journey
into Hiking the Trail of Truth.
I have referred to all of these
captivating, scenic places as; Waters Wonders. Water is the most
powerful force on the earth, as you have seen, able to move entire mountain
ranges and carve deep canyons or vast deserts in their place. It is also the
most life sustaining source on the earth. Nothing can live without it. It is an
ingredient in every living plant and creature on the face or in the depths of
the earth. In profound addition, water makes up the majority of the
human body. Modern science has finally discovered that all of the
other chemicals which make up the human body are found in the very dust
of the earth... The Genesis writings of the Bible are indeed fact. How and why
would anyone ever doubt? It is indeed wise to think on these things as
you hike about Waters Wonders. God will teach you all that you
need to know.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding
out! (Romans 11:33)
DAY HIKE #3
The Canyon of
Worry |
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In His hands are
the deep places of the earth... (Psalm
95:4)
We're hiking into one of the most spiritually rejuvenating
places on the earth right now; Grand Canyon, Arizona, one of the world's
greatest wonders formed by Noah's flood. Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon?
My very first visit here was with my son, Mitch, in 1986. Gazing into the
canyon over its south rim, both for the first time, we were in awe; actually
speechless for about twenty minutes or more, only able to wonder
regarding its vastness and its overwhelmingly captivating hold on both our
thoughts and imaginations.
Grand Canyon's miles of steep walls are
colorfully lined with myriad shades of reds, pinks and browns. There are
massive buttes and mesas throughout the formation over its ten mile width and
along its approximate ninety mile length. It is also hundreds of feet in depth.
Carved very rapidly some 5000 years ago, during the great flood of Noah, it
continues to remain a geologic mystery to the unbelieving. They have no
concept of the magnitude of water force that once flowed through this area.
Only a very limited flow of water runs through it now, what they've duly named
the Colorado River. Nonetheless, in spite of what they do not really
know about it, in spite of their inaccurate teachings on its age, its geology
and its history, and, in spite of the National Park Service's misguided
tours and flawed literature, it remains a place of extremely great beauty and
year round inspiration, even for unbelievers.
Though unworthy to witness
such splendor that the canyon displays I have, by the grace of God, been
allowed to visit there many times since that first visit with my son, one of
which was with my daughter in 1996. Pictures and postcards can give you some
idea, but to be there in reality is an inspiringly breathtaking, humbling,
just-a-picture-won't-do experience. On another note, it is here within this
most impressive wonder of God that I would like to share with you what I have
learned about the anxiety we call worry. When personal worry is at
its deepest chasm, I liken it to the very bottom of this Grand Canyon wonder,
with its high, insurmountable walls of despair on either side...
The
base of the canyon is only available by river access, or by pack trails and
steep foot trails from the high rim. Bottom line is; once you are down in the
canyon itself, there looms a long and difficult way out. Its precipitous walls
look much higher from deep down in there and the view of the sky above is quite
limited. If you were physically unable to climb or you had no means of which to
navigate the river, it would surely be the end of your world. A canyon of
grief. A deep, unyielding pit of despair. A place where vultures gather to
await the demise of an injured animal or to feed on the carcass of a lost and
defeated soul.
Do you realize that worry, in the spiritual realm (or
within your heart), can indeed erode a canyon of this size and magnitude;
length, width and depth, seemingly inescapable, into your life... complete with
a gathering of ravening vultures and all? Worry is a subtle destroyer of
life. The anxieties developed through worry can plunge one into grievous sins;
throwing us into a pit that we find may be extremely difficult to escape from.
This pit over time becomes a deeply carved canyon which takes an exceedingly
great toll on our emotions, our physical well-being, our personal life and our
handling of relationships with other people.
Jesus advised us
not to be anxious about our lives (Luke
12:22-30). He asked if all of our daily worries would add anything to us
or make things any better for us. No, they won't! In my own life I
have learned through much experience the absolute futility of worry. I learned
this truth late in my years and then realized that I had dealt recklessly with
life in my youth because of it. I am now paying a great personal price for the
sins of worry, as well as other failures. It could be worse. If God had chosen
to, He could have killed me a long time ago. Yet, even with my foolishness, He
has been merciful. He has lifted me out of the difficult canyon of worry, grief
and despair on many occasions. Yes, we do get trapped in this deep place
more than onceit is our nature. God is the only sure way out! Dig
and claw as we may to find our own way, there just isn't any other way
to freedom.
My advice for your proneness to worry is to talk to yourself
first thing every morning. Tell your anxious spirit to slow down! Seek
God's help... Since His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), you should be able to leave the worries
of yesterday right back there in yesterday. He gives you the freedom to
do that. You do not have to worry about tomorrow either. He has given and will
continue to give you everything that you will need (Luke
15:31), so, again, don't worry about anything (Philippians 4:6) ! He throws down a rope (trust) and
gives you the choice as to whether or not to climb up out of that canyon
of worry. Choose wisely and grab hold of the rope...
Climb up out of
that canyon; pray to God earnestly today that you will cease from worry and its
"neighboring sins". If you are a Christian, you are without a doubt in
God's hands. Remember that! Repeat that thought to yourself over and over
until it sinks in. There is truly no need for fear, or doubt, or worry.
Trust in Him... Once you realize that, do that, and are up out of
the canyon, take off your backpack full of those old worrisome burdens. Coil up
the rope He threw down to you and strap it to the pack, then hand pack and all
to the Lord. He will carry it from now onupon His shoulders willingly, as
you now begin and continue to walk with Him! (Psalm
55:22)
He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and
my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge. (Psalm
144:2)
DAY HIKE #4
God and Arches |
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He does great
things past finding out, yes, wonders without number... (Job 9:10)
Arches National Park is still
another distinguished monument of our Creator, one that definitely leaves you
in awe over the great power of water. I have visited this area many times in
recent years and it's good to be back here and even better that you are
here with me. God has indeed left some real images of art for us to view here.
Some of them are actually humorous (don't think for one minute that God doesn't
have a sense of humor). Our hike through this area will confirm these things
for you in a most remarkable way...
The initial flood deposits in this
area (about 2460 BC) consisted of a vast number of hills and mounds of good
quality clay which were, just a brief time later, reformed and finely
sculptured by the turbulence of receding waters. God indeed left some profound
shapes here. I call it the "check this out, folks" display of Gods'
handiwork. The carvings here are most impressively representative of the human
race and of the animal inhabitants of the earth. There are some Biblical
students who believe that this area is the remains of an ancient city, that the
sculpturing is the work of men. That's a possibility but not a probability. The
secular opinion of course is that Arches was eroded into these shapes by wind
and water over billions of years. We know that idea is absurd; an absolute
impossibility in the mind of the true Christian, since the earth itself, as we
know it, is just over 6000 years old.
My personal opinion is that God
challenges mankind here at Arches, but in a kind and humorous way. Knowing that
we should be able to see His mind in these works here (Romans 1:18-20), knowing that He is going to have the
so-called experts come up with all kinds of explanations here, and knowing too
that He is going to delight those who have true understanding (His
own children), He allowed that this area, later named by men as
Arches National Park, would be a monument to the creativity of God, and
perhaps a preview of the eventual history of mankind in the United
States...Take a close look...
There are a myriad of shapes here. Of the
animals there are elephants, horses, cattle, sheep and rams, lions, coyotes,
and birds such as the eagle. Of men there are the images of George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson and other figures of the Revolution. There are infants in the
arms of women, patriots marching and casualties of war. Abraham Lincoln is
giving an oratory at a podium. There are civil war soldiers lurking about and
slaves huddled in fear. There are statues of American Indians, while on a
considerably larger scale are the scar-faced profiles of Indian warriors and
chiefs. There are also groups here and there which appear to be a diversity of
people engaged in prayer. Then there's Park Avenue; walls of rock that resemble
downtown New York City. There's indeed much more to be found here, and it
doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to do so...
The famous
Delicate Arch, the location of which is indeed an inspiring hike over
red rock, looks like the torso and legs of a bowlegged cowboy wearing a pair of
chaps. He may have been whole at one time, as there is a lot of broken rock in
the valley just below him. In a canyon just behind this arch is a group of
women standing around a well. There are huge bowls that resemble pottery here
and at other locations throughout the park as well. There are rocks that
resemble pueblos and still others that resemble castles. Depending on the time
of day, the shadows created by the sun making its way through the park serve to
highlight this grand display of artwork in a diversity of ways. Towering
spires, pinnacles and balanced rocks perched atop seemingly inadequate bases
are among these scenic spectacles. Then there are the many and varied arches
themselves...
There are more than 2,000 arches within the park, ranging
in size from a three foot opening (the minimum considered an arch) to the
longest one, Landscape Arch, which measures 306 feet from base to base.
Some of the arches are extremely tall, with huge spans, and you will seasonally
find an occasional rock climber atop them. I myself enjoy viewing the clouds
through the archways as they pass behind providing an excellent backdrop,
continuously changing their exquisite formations. I once photographed the moon
during daylight hours through the span of a lengthy arch. It was indeed an
impressive photo for an amateur; postcard material for sure. After sunset many
arches throughout the park provide unique views of the evening stars through
their open archways. Why so many arches? God likes arches.
He is not unlike us in having favorites; the first thing He gave us after the
great flood was an arch... Remember the rainbow?
Again, there's
much to see in this unique area of land where most of this particular
composition of clay, over the last 5000 years or so, has hardened to stone. All
of the clay formations in the area look as if they were baked in an oven.
Indeed, the suns' heat over a period of time is surely responsible for this
work. Perhaps it only took a few years after the formations were born to
accomplish this. Geologists have numerous theories on this particular aging
process, but only God knows. Modern geology does not take into consideration
that God made all things, therefore, their conclusions require great scrutiny.
All I know for sure is that the entire area is a most remarkable display of His
handiwork (Psalm 95:5, Proverbs 26:10, Isaiah 45:18, Acts
17:24).
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to hike here
with me through this outstanding red rock country... I hope you too were
inspired! It is certainly a great place to wander through, to allow your
mind to take the time to ponder the wonder of God in His unequalled creativity.
It is a place to meditate deeply on all His works and to consider, within our
finite minds, the infinite height and breadth of His wisdom.
All
things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was
made. (John 1:3)
DAY HIKE #5
Into The Monuments |
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Remember His
marvelous works which He has done, His wonders... (Psalm 105:5)
If you've never hiked Monument
Valley, well, it's time you did. These impressive wonders, sacred to the
Navajo nation, are located in an area of about ninety-two thousand acres, which
is just a small part of the nearly 16 million acre Navajo Indian Reservation of
the great American southwest. The monuments themselves are scattered across the
landscape from northern Arizona into southern Utah. The elevation here is high
desert country, from about 5000 to just over 6000 feet or more above sea level.
The first thing you may want to take note of on your trek through this
land, if and when the wondrous awe generated inside you ever settles down long
enough for you to do so, is to note the height of the various monuments.
For the most part they are all very close to the same height above ground. The
floor of the valley presently consists of small, rolling hills and flatland,
mostly hardened clay and sandstone (similar to the terrain of Arches National
Park). The monuments themselves are composed of a tightly compressed mixture of
the terrain found at ground level.
The point is that during the Great
Flood, about 5000 years ago, when the soft and hard rocks, clay and other
materials were first deposited into the area at the height of the Flood, this
92,000 acre land mass was laid out as fairly level terrain, equal to the now
existing height of the monuments themselves. Since the area is so large and the
monuments are some distance from one another, a view of the region from Muley
Point in Utah, about 15 miles west of Mexican Hat, may help you to better
understand what actually took place here. If you've never been there, just
concentrate on what I am about to describe to youhopefully you'll get the
picture.
The receding floodwaters, as they were passing through this
recent deposit with great force, washed, to a considerable depth, all of
the loose sediments away while the more rigid deposits held their ground.
Tremendous masses of sediments as high as the current monuments were moved from
this area as they were in all areas of the world during a five month period of
water recession from the unimaginably high crest of the Flood. Though the more
rigid deposits remained immovable, they were however shaped dramatically by the
commanding persistence of retreating watersthe profound strokes of the
Artist's brush.
All of the monuments within this vast area have
shale, pebble and sand deposits at their base. The bases themselves are
gradually contoured outward. When the high volume of receding waters
significantly decreased, which according to the Biblical record took a minimum
of five months, the bases of the monuments continued to remain under water for
a period of time, which accounts for the watermarked contour visible on the
base of each monument. The entire valley was a seemingly endless lake, while
the newly formed monuments, at varying distances from one another, protruded up
out of the shallow waters over several miles.
What an overwhelmingly
awesome sight it must have been! A smaller version of this 'picture in
time' exists still to this day, about 300 hundred miles to the west in the Lake
Mead area, where separate red rock monuments protrude out of the waters there.
Similar monuments are found in the water at various areas along the Colorado
River, however, with the recession, the remaining floodwater in Monument
Valley, which stands at a considerably higher elevation, was draining
outslowly decreasing. Over a period of time the earth eventually
dried up in this higher area (Genesis 8:14), and Monument Valley was born.
It is indeed an inspiration to hike among the monuments of Monument
Valley. When I do this I try to contemplate what actually took place here
during its formation. The thought of it overturns the imagination. It is, of
course, sacred ground. I couldn't look at it in any other way, nor can the
local Indians. Then again, all of the planet earth is sacred ground to the
Christian, or at least it should be. But it is here, in this obviously
immense moving and shaping of land, in this place where widespread, diversely
yet harmoniously sculptured sentinels give glory to the One who formed them,
where I fall on my face with exceedingly great thanksgiving in awe of
the untold wonder of God, our Creator.
Who established the
mountains by His strength, being clothed with power? You, who still the noise
of the seas, the noise of their waves and the tumult of the peoples. They also
who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs, yet, You make the
outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice. (Psalm
65:6-8)
DAY HIKE #6
The Way of the Eagle |
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Does the eagle
mount up at your command and make its nest on high? (Job 39:27)
I've spotted Eagles at different times
while on my hikes along these various trails, both in the deserts and in the
mountains. Perhaps we'll have the good fortune to catch a glimpse of one today.
I was hiking along Rush Creek near June Lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada a few
summers back. It was there in a somewhat remote and picturesque area of the
high country that I had a most unique encounter with a Golden Eagle.
The Greek word for Eagle is aetos, which means to blow as the
wind or become one with the wind. The Psalms teach us that the way of an eagle
in flight is too wonderful to understand (Psalm 30:18,19). I had just rounded a
bend in the trail when I saw the Golden. She was soaring at eye level, above
the canyon, just about 30 feet west of where I was journeying along the high
trail. It was a very large Eagle, so I judged her to be female. She was
incredibly close to me. She slowed, almost stopping in mid-air. She was riding
the wind, correcting for every deviation of its velocity, all the while
seemingly investigating me.
She was looking right at me! At one point I
believe, or at least would like to believe, that our eyes actually met. It's
hard to tell if they're looking directly into your eyes, but just having the
Eagle behold me was an honor in itself. I didn't move a muscle or even twitch a
finger. I was thinking, 'the good Lord has indeed blessed me in allowing me to
witness such a grand and glorious wonder so close at hand. I am indeed humbled
by His kindness!' I was suspended in time, hopeful that the encounter might
last a little while longer. I was overwhelmed at the Eagle's
controlfascinated by it. Then, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye
she dipped a wing and turned off, headed down along the canyon to pick up
speed. I estimated that she was flying somewhere between 50 and 60 miles per
hour. I soon caught her in my binoculars and tracked her until she was out of
sight.
How majestic and graceful she was! I've known Eagles to attain
speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour while in a dive. They can hold those
speeds while maintaining focus on the object at which they are diving. They are
so well coordinated they can avoid in flight collisions at that speed and can
actually drag just a fraction of an inch of talon across the back of another
bird, sending it spiraling to the ground in complete shock. I've seen them
close their talons, as if making a fist, to strike their prey as they swoop on
by. Pilots have reported seeing Golden Eagles in flight above fifteen thousand
feet.
Eagles have tremendous vision. You and I, according to medical
science, have some two hundred thousand of what they call visual
receptors, per square centimeter, within our eyes. The Eagle has 1.6
million receptors per square centimeter; eight times that of a human. That
makes for an extremely high visual resolution or 'optical clarity' in simpler
wording. Let me illustrate: Imagine sitting in the very last row of the Dallas
stadium during football seasonI mean who can afford closer seats, right?
With a pair of binoculars I might be able to catch the main action of the game.
From that same distance an Eagle can individualize every blade of grass on the
playing field.
An Eagle could read three-inch letters on a billboard
one mile away. They can see small fish jumping out of the water five miles out
to sea. They can spot fish in a swiftly flowing stream from thousands of feet
in the air. They have remarkable vitality. An Eagle weighing about twenty
pounds has enough strength in its talons to break both of the bones in a man's
forearm by just grasping it firmly. Any small, unsuspecting prey would be
crushed instantly under that kind of power.
If you recall I had an
operation on my stomach a few years back and I learned something about the
Eagle's talons from my surgeon, after he had stitched me up. He informed me
that surgical needles were modeled after Eagle's talons. They are specially
crafted to pierce the flesh and not to tear it. I was thankful to the Lord that
day for His unique design of the Eagle's talons, and for the both informed and
skillful surgeon who knew how to use that particularly well-designed needle.
When an Eagle soars it is not by his or her own strength. They
effectively extend their great wings and are lifted by the rising currents of
air. They just simply make themselves available to the wind. I too can
soar within my own spirit like the Eagle, when I make myself available to
God and yield to His Spirit. I have soared many times while just thinking
about His greatness. I have danced atop desert mesas and high mountain peaks. I
see His greatness and feel His presence in all of His wonders. I feel it with
each breath that I take along these hiking trails. I can also reach out and
touch a variety of His different works at any time. This particular uplifting
of spirit has been identified as the Rocky Mountain High by a
songwriter, but it is much more than that. I feel kindred to the Eagle in this
way.
The Eagle-brilliant, extraordinarily graceful, with
incomprehensible control, incredible speed, supreme vision and commanding
strength. It's no wonder then that God pays grand tribute to their majesty. How
well I have learned through my own experiences the immeasurable value of the
following Biblical teaching:
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will
not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives
strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow
tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength. They will soar (mount up) on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be
faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
MOONLIGHT HIKE #7
Campfire at Canyon Spring
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He sends the
springs into the valleys... (Psalm
104:10)
The oasis at the south end of this particular canyon is
a unique campsite. There's a pool of water there which has its source
from an underground stream. It has been named simply; Canyon Spring. The
water is cool and extremely clear this time of year. There are several tall
yuccas around the pool, scattered artistically among varieties of painted
brush, which serve to make the place a true haven of rest within the desert. It
is surrounded by sandstone walls that reflect a mixture of evening shadows
toward sunset and other even more distinct variations by moonlight. The pool
itself acts as a mirror during this most noble display of shadows. These
qualities of course make Canyon Spring a really great place for a campfire. A
campfire without dancing shadows on the surrounding rock or fiery reflections
from a body of water is just an ordinary old campfire. I should say however
that any campfire is of significant value. But here at the Spring it's
utterly significant. And if built properly, it is exquisite.
You start
by digging a small pit in the earth, circular, about three to four feet in
diameter. If rocks are available you can place them around the edge of the
circle as a firebreak. Rocks also absorb and reflect heat, which ultimately
produces a warmer fire and allows hotter, longer lasting (all night) embers,
ready to stir at breakfast to heat up the morning 'trail coffee.'
Wad
up about a half dozen pages of newspaper (one page per wad) and place them in
the middle of the circle. Toilet paper or facial tissues do not work well.
Writing pad paper, napkins or paper towels are okay, but newspaper works the
best. Sprinkle some twigs or small kindling atop the wadded newspaper. Find a
medium sized forked branch to use as a support for the next phasebuilding
a teepee.
A teepee generates a lot of heat in a short time and
produces quick coals for heating up hot dogs or marshmallows. Construct the
teepee's center support over top of the kindling you have just prepared; brace
the forked branch by angling another branch or two into the yoke of the fork
itself. Add branches on all sides, forming a teepee around the kindling
and newspaper. Use small branches initially, then add a circle of larger logs,
as your teepee will support.
Now, light the kindling inside the base of
the teepee in three or four places and you'll have a nice fire almost
immediately, soon producing ample good coals for cooking or barbecuing. You may
continue to stack wood in the teepee formation or choose to knock down the
teepee to place a grill over the coals for barbecuing. The grill may be
supported by placing rocks under each of its corners, or in any manner that
renders it sturdy enough to support your food. You can reconstruct the teepee
later by removing the grill after you've done your cooking.
The teepee
formation is best for the evening campfire and marshmallow roast. A teepee fire
is uniquely elegant. It is particularly nice to stare at; its embers are
affected by the slightest breeze and give a most radiant performance with their
varied intensities. The teepee fire also displays exquisite shadow formations
on the surrounding terrain. Most important, it is adequately warm and eminently
invitinga truly Native American campfire. I can now also inform
you at my age that a good campfire is better than anything.
We don't
mean to keep you up too late tonight, but we wanted to point out some things to
you while we still have the stars so incredibly visible above us. Canyon Spring
is a great place to view them, that's for sure. What actually is a star?
Ever ask yourself that? Well, the sun is an average star, so it's a
good place to start for descriptive purposes. The sun in all of its majesty is
nearly incomprehensible. Its distance, as best we can tell, is about 93 million
miles away from the earth. It is an immense ball of seething gases, about
864,000 miles in diameter. That diameter is nearly four times the distance from
the earth to the moon. It is indeed a big one, but scientists tell us that
there are stars out there over five hundred times bigger than the sun. Think
about that, if you can!
In dealing more with what we can see and almost
imagine; if the sun could be hollowed out like a giant pumpkin, a million
planet earths' could easily fit inside, just like so many marbles. But the sun
is not hollow. It is an immense and fiery furnace where internal gas
temperatures are measured and estimated to be in the millions of
degrees. I for one can't even begin to fathom such intense heat. Scientists too
are not really sure where all this extreme high energy comes from. There are
theories and presumptions, but no one is absolutely certain what makes the sun
shine.
Each square inch of the suns' surface illuminates with the
intensity of about three hundred thousand candles. Each square inch, mind you!
This incredible energy production goes on day and night, summer and winter. It
is estimated that only about one billionth of the suns' energy output actually
hits the earth! The rest streams off into all directions of space, with
no waste whatsoever. In just one second the sun releases more energy
than mankind has produced since the creation, including all engines,
power plants, and bombs ever constructed. This dramatic output energy of the
sun illustrates what is also happening at this moment on innumerable other
stars throughout our galaxy and beyond, over the entire universe. There is no
energy shortage on the part of these beautiful lights in the night sky, the
precise work of Gods' fingers (Psalm 8:3,4).
The
universe is perfect. It definitely was not caused by a big bang as the
theory goes. Let me tell you how precise Gods' measurements actually are: There
could be hazards in living as close to this star as we do. Along with the suns'
necessary light and pleasant warmth, dramatic explosions on the solar surface
bathe the earth in radiation. However, we are protected from disaster by
multiple levels of safety shields. For example, when x-rays and gamma radiation
from the sun, the most deadly of solar output, collide with certain molecules
high in the earths' atmosphere, the radiation energy is absorbed and broken
down to a harmless level. In addition, ultraviolet radiation is stopped by the
ozone layer twelve to eighteen miles above the earths' surface. High
speed fragments of atoms, also called the solar wind, are deflected by
the earths' magnetic field away from the most populated areas and toward the
far north and south regions of the planet.
The 93 million miles that
separate us from the sun also serves to insulate us from harm. If the distance
were any less, the raging solar inferno would entirely vaporize the earth in an
instant. If the distance were any greater, we would literally be an ice planet.
If the expanse of space between us and the sun were not a vacuum, the explosive
sounds on its furious surface would deafen us. The multiple safety features
provided by our Creator result in our safely enjoying the benefits of sunlight.
The sun of course is only one star. There are actually over one hundred
billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
Beyond the Milky way there
are other galaxies of all shapes and sizes. Around one hundred billion such
galaxies are now known to exist. If we should take the Milky Way as an average
galaxy, the approximate number of stars within the known universe is
then ten sec-tillion. Ten sec-tillion is the numerical equal of 10²²
(meaning ten to the twenty-second power), or, 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
New instruments continue to probe deeper into space with seemingly no end
in sight. The actual number of stars is indeed infinite, yet, may be only one
page in Gods' register of the heavens. What an excellent way for the Creator to
manifest His glory! The Bible teaches us that God determines (created and
knows) not only the number of stars (which scientists have been unable
to number), but calls each individual star by name (Psalm 147:4).

When I consider Your heavens, the
work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is
man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him? For
You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with
glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your
hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the
beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the seas. Oh LORD,
our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth. (Psalm 8:3-9)
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Looks like our campfire
is dying out... perhaps we had just better let it do that and get some rest for
the night. Thanks so much for hiking with us along the Lake Trail. I
trust your trek was well worthwhile. Come back anytime and we'll do it again.
Bring some friends along... Anyone is welcome here. |
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HIKING THE TRAIL OF TRUTH Mark S.
Taylor
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