RMNP Disaster - Part II

Picking up from where I left off...

We trekked up 4.5 miles to our destination for the evening at Sand Beach Lake, which is at approximately 10,000 ft. Upon arrival, we immediately scouted out a cozy area for camping, pitched the tent and fixed some buffalo chicken for dinner. After hiding the bear keg 70 strides out, we headed back, watched a few episodes of Law & Order on the iPad and fell asleep.

The next morning we were a little slow going. Probably because we realized right before bedtime the night before that we forgot sugar for our coffee. Darn. David tried to improvise by chewing up M&M's and melting them into our cups. Helpful! But we weren't exactly downing the coffee. By 11:00 a.m. we had gotten fresh water filtered from the lake, torn down the tent and loaded up our bags to hit the...well, to hit the mountain. I almost said trail. But this was the portion of the trip where we planned to bushwhack our way up a mountain on the east side of Long's Peak. Below is a shot of me on our way out of Sand Beach Lake (pretty, huh?). Probably my last smile that day.

So up we went. And that is when things started to turn south. Bushwhacking, if you are wondering, is where you do not have a trail to follow. And for Colorado in the summer, that means climbing over downed trees, huge boulders and fighting brush. Not to mention we had a hoard of mosquitos covering us the second we would stop to think. All of this while carrying a 40 and 50 lb. packs. Ugh. After 30 minutes I begged to eat lunch. So there we sat on a downed tree trunk. We ate quickly, put on a second layer of Off! with Deet, and continued on our way.

For the next two and a half hours we were scrambling huge boulders. Balance was key, and my pack was throwing me off. Again, those stinkin' mosquitos were eating us alive! I told David I felt like Pigpen from Peanuts, except I had a cloud of bugs instead of stink. Well, probably both. Anyway, to give you an idea of the terrain, see below. We had trekking poles to help with some of the climb, but there were many points where we simply needed our hands and the poles would do us no good. This is a photo of the mountain we were climbing (left). Rugged, people! And all the while, we were doing the bear call just to ensure that if there were bears around, they were frightened away by people voices. Oh, and did I mention that a storm was rolling in pretty quick? Yeah...we were a couple hundred feet from treeline. Not really a great thing. So speed became even more of a necessity.

With about half a mile to go, I could no longer contain it. We were climbing back down rocks to make it to our campsite for the night. Rocks and tree limbs were scratching up my legs. The steepness of the decline was too much for my pack and my sanity. I sat down and started scooting on my butt. As David was mentioning something about the stream below being perfect for filling our water bladders, I finally stopped, dropped my head and started crying. And for the first time in our hiking career as a couple, I called uncle. I'd had enough. Visions of our vehicle back at the ranger's station danced in my head. As did the thought of a cheap motel with running water and a bed. I begged for mercy. I was done.

Thank God for a sweet hubby. And for the fact that this hike was fun for no one. David started filtering the water. And I stood there watching. And thinking. About time. It was about 2:45 p.m. at this point. We would have to make it all the way back to Sand Beach Lake, then hustle back down the trail for another 4.5 miles to the car. All before the sun went down. All possible with a will of steel and the grace of God.

And speaking of the sun...I wasn't seeing a ton of it. It had gotten a bit dark. Hmmm. Splat! Raindrops. Light, not a huge deal. And then more. On went the rain jackets. Then the sky opened. And then the thunder. And lightning. David whisked us into the trees and started rifling through his bags. Out came rope and a tarp. Three minutes later he had built us a nice little shelter. Good thing, too, because then it started to hail. The temperature dropped. More lightning. Up went the prayers. Oh, and if you think I wasn't praying this whole time at every step for Jesus to help me, you are wrong! Every step of the way. And boy, did He bless us. As soon as the thunder stopped rolling and the rain subsided, we hit the...not the trail...the rough terrain with sheer determination to make it back to the car. Needing an image of what we hacked through at this point? I snapped a photo so people would know our drama when they found our dead bodies. Oh, and to make matters worse, somehow in all the haste I lost one of David's trekking poles. We were down to three. I believe I cried again. More scrapes, shifting rocks under our feet, crevaces lurking under each step. Oh, and our constant bear calling. You don't want to stop that!!!

We finally made it back to Sand Beach Lake just a few minutes after 6:00 p.m. Our shoulders were killing us. Will of steel - I was determined to not stop here. David wisely pulled our packs off and dangled a granola bar in front of my face. We ate and then noticed a couple coming out of their tent to sit at the lake. They were both very relaxed. She looked like she had wet hair from a shower of some sort. They cozied up together on a long log and gazed at the lake together. Gag! What was wrong with these people?!

As we pulled together our last ounce of energy and shrugged those huge packs onto our sore shoulders, we hiked past them quietly. "Did you two have a nice hike?", they asked. Busted.

"Not really. It's been a rough day," David answered. "We're heading back to the car right now. A motel room is sounding really nice right now." Somehow he mustered a laugh. I was impressed, and mustered a teeny smile.

"Have you two seen any bears?", the girl asked us. After telling them no, I was curious.

"How about you two?," I asked.

"Yes, we saw one yesterday. He looked at us, we looked at him, and we all went on our own ways. No big deal." Apparently they had taken the same hike we did. But before the storm. And with adorable little daypacks. And I was certain that she had not been crying at all that day. Interesting...Why was I starting to feel like a bit of a sissy?

Crazy nice people. Seeing bears. Taking a scenery break by the pretty lake. Enjoying all that the mountains have to offer. I could take no more. We bid them farewell, and off we went! We had 4.5 miles to cover before the sun went down. Cozy bear-seeing, relaxing, adorable couples were slowing us down!

And we made it the whole way. I won't bore you with the stresses of making it right as the last bit of light escaped. The number of times David offered to stop and take a break. The urgent bear calls. I remembered what the ranger had said about mountain lions plucking people at dusk. I was focused! I would not relent! From prayers or moving my feet. When we finally got to our dump of a motel for the evening with french fries, shakes and whatnot in tow from McDonald's we discovered we had red skin from busted blood vessels where our packs rested on our shoulders. Our legs were jelly. Our stomachs were empty. And all we could say was what an awful, awful day it had been. And how amazing God was for getting us to this fabulous place.

We slept for ten hours that night.

I told David right before we went to sleep that I wanted to go home to St. Louis. Colorado had done me in for the trip. And he took me home. We rested that  next day and took a drive up Trail Ridge Road to view the mountains from the comfort of our car at 12,000 feet. A little pale in our faces, but we had our smiles back.

Needless to say, I definitely got a t-shirt from the gift shop. Escaping that day with just a few scratches, aches, pains and bruises was a stinkin' achievement! And a Morgan family vacation that we will surely not forgot for years to come. Debbie, didn't you say something about vacations with drama making the best memories?

We love all of you! With a special fondness after that craziness!

Missy

RMNP Disaster - Part I

   Due to popular demand, I have written a journal of our 6-day journey to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) cut short to 2 days. Welcome to part I. It all started on Sunday as we arrived at the ranger station to get our backpacking ticket...

   Park Ranger Victor Hall was kindly giving us the new rules for backpacking in RMNP. With their total bear count down to 23 from 30, they were taking no chances. And Rick was obviously a bit peeved with prior hikers getting sloppy. Bears are not leaving, you see. They are being put down. And according to Victor, that number would soon be 20 due to 3 brown bears aggressively going after hikers' food supplies. As the corners of Victor's mouth turned from concern over a potential lack of preparedness on our part to approval as David affirmed "yes" to his myriad of questions, my eyes wandered over their bulletins pasted to the wooden walls of the ranger office. For instance...

   David was assuring Victor that he not only had a map of the area where we planned to stay for the next three days, but he had also downloaded photos of our final summit to Long's Peak and our course upward. David had charted our course with a ranger over the phone prior to arriving. We were hiking 4.5 miles with our big packs on day 1 to Sand Beach Lake. Then we would ascend the next day by bushwhacking with our big packs (David's at about 50 lbs., mine about 40) again to 10,000 ft. on Mt. Orton. The third day we planned to take our small day packs and summit Long's Peak. Piece of cake, Victor! As we prepared to leave, Victor ran through the quick list of what to do when you see a bear. You know...look big, throw rocks, holler. The norm. Then for mountain lions...same thing. Just don't leave children or pets unattended. Or be alone on a run or bike ride at dawn or dusk. Apparently that's when they prefer to pluck their victims caught unawares. Finally, just to drive the message home, he also offered us a free cup of coffee if we sprayed a bear guilty of stealing a backpack with food in it. Apparently that is good discipline for black bears. Gulp. Sweat beads on the nose. Later, Vic. See you soon...um, hopefully. Needless to say we quickly texted our itinerary to Debbie and Mikel and hopped in the car for a quick drive to our trailhead. Surely Ranger Vic was a bit overreactive.

When we pulled into our parking lot by the trailhead, the rangers wanted $20 and had further advice for black bear encounters. After all, they said, chances were ripe to see them as activity was unusually high. When we mentioned we were packing a canister of bear spray a blonde ranger dude was quick to inform us that spraying a bear was a last resort. Last guy wanted to give us coffee. Awfully confusing.

So with a heavy dose of bear (not to mention mountain lion) fear, my 40 lb. backpack and a one last stop at an actual restroom we were off. Click here for our parting words before hitting the trailhead. We were so adorable and excited. Bless our hearts.

Storms, Weigh-Ins, Birthdays and Babies

We don't mess around when it comes to weather warnings these days. David sent a text to me on Friday afternoon warning me to hit the road for Rogers pronto. St. Louis had "tornado watch" written all over it for the early evening. I gunned it for 44, stopped quickly for gas and ate my chips and salsa dinner on the road. Twenty minutes out from turning south on 71, I turned on the radio to hear tornado warnings for northwest Arkansas as I headed toward black clouds. Alas, 71 appeared and took me right out of the storms. I didn't see or hear a drop of rain until safely tucked into bed at Debbie and Mikel's late that night. Praise God, and thanks for praying!

The weekend naturally went by way too fast. For the short duration, I say we efficiently maximized on family time and good fun.

The purpose? David had a weight-loss contest weigh-in with his buddies to complete, we desperately wanted to hold Baby Eli, and we had three birthdays to celebrate. As it turns out, no one hit their goal weight, though David did lose 20 pounds. But no one is getting any younger, so the party and baby-holding stayed on schedule. And I am so grateful! Bobbie fixed us two delicious mexican casseroles and Debbie made a gluten-free cake. As far as I'm concerned, where there's cake there's a party.

Here are a few "party-pics" for everyone. And a special Happy Birthday goes out to Ed, who is celebrating his 80th! He sure is a dapper, youthful 80 if you ask me.

Happy Birthday to US!

Some of the Morgans...After all, somebody has to take the picture. Anybody recognize David's shirt? Jan Shaddox convinced me in Israel that purchasing a shirt for David would NOT be too personal.

If anyone is interested in how fabulous 79 and 80 could be, you need to spend a few days with these folks. They run circles around people like me. :)

If these two aren't enough "adorable" for you, watch out. Eli made a special visit all the way from Tampa, Florida. He stole our hearts with his little "man face". And he also played hard to get on the smiles. Saved them for the very end.

I still marvel at the fact that David and these guys have maintained their friendship through all of these years and life changes. And I count myself blessed to call them friends now, too.

Last note before I run off to do some work. Pastor Lumpkin gave out some facts about how much meat, cheese, etc. people in the U.S. eat each year. We sure spend a lot of time taking care of our bodies physically. But if we compare that with the amount of time we spend in His Word, learning about Him, His life and Who He Is, we more than likely fall very short. Two weeks out from the end of BSF for the summer caused me to pause and listen closely to his recommendation for approaching God's Word daily. What a difference it makes for me. Oh, and they closed out with the song "Ancient Words" for all of you BSF leaders! It makes me tear up a bit each time I hear it.

We love you guys, we pray for you, and we will be in touch. Happy June!

Missy Morgan

Mrs. David Gump

Light rain tapping the office window, tea kettle whistling, laundry folded and tucked away (about 6 loads - no kidding) and a 3-hour nap behind me...the only thing keeping today from being a perfect Saturday is David. He's in Memphis. Thank God for text messaging. I already know what he had for dinner. :)

While on one hand it is slightly embarrassing that I haven't written a blog since well before Easter, on the other hand it is oodles of fun to look back at photos and gawk at the fact that we are on the heels of summer.

I love looking back at our photos from Easter weekend in Arkansas. Highlight of the weekend, or any weekend in Arkansas for that matter, was the sermon from Mike Lumpkin at UBC. I am certain I have never attended an Easter service with the sermon coming from the book of Zechariah, who (according to the notes I have written in pencil) prophesied 550 years prior to Jesus Christ coming to us on earth but after God brought His people back from Babylon. The sermon was rich with prophesy of the Coming King to save and shepherd His people. Excellent reminder that my redemption came at a heavy price. Lumpkin also touched on our Good Shepherd...that we know His voice. He likened it to the whistle of his mother when he was a kid riding bikes all over the neighborhood. He could always hear that whistle, and knew instantly it was her and he was to head home, and pronto. Mom, it brought me back to Harvest Glen when you would call us for dinnertime. How is it possible that I could hear you several blocks away. "Kids!!! Dinner!!! Missy, Rob...?!". John 10:27-30 comes to mind for me, which I have circled with a heart next to the chapter. I love what God says here about Jesus being our Good Shepherd! Jan, I remember studying that book in your discussion group. What a blessing.

I am SO thankful for the family time at Easter. Eleven of us at the Morgan Major abode - what a fun time! Melissa brought a photo of the most gorgeous cupcakes and, not at all a shock, talked the rest of us ladies into bringing these intricate pastries to life. They were stunning!

The weather was incredible, which meant an Easter walk for me, Toodie and Melissa. The neighborhood still has some construction lots. And we figured with zero construction activity due to the holiday, nothing could possibly stop us from taking a peek here and there. After all, we have family in the neighborhood and we look pretty innocent. We had just gotten to the back patio of one home. As Toodie was commenting that it looked like they were putting in a full kitchen on the back deck, we heard a car pull up. Ah, yeah. Busted.

Home owners. We sheepishly approached a group of three looking fresh from church - sandals, dresses and a suit. One gal, the owner, was giving her good friends a tour. Bless her heart, she invited us to stay and get the scoop. Awkward! We kindly slipped out with an embarrassed blush after twenty minutes of stalling their tour and wished them well. Eh - It's Arkansas. People are so kind, as was our tour guide. If it had gotten too weird, we did have Melissa with us. She can talk anyone into or out of anything.

Back to St. Louis...

And praise God! David accepted a full-time position as PA in family medicine with an office in Washington, MO! And due to the lengthy incoming paperwork, his start date is July 1. Which leaves David time to study and to focus on his table tennis skills. I'll catch him from time to time with his head in the clouds. I wonder...Is he stressed? Bored? Troubled by something? Dreaming of the future? Nine times out of ten when I ask he says, "Oh, no, honey. Everything is great. I was just thinking about ping pong." Hey, who can blame him. He's got some mad skills! He had his first table tennis tournament (try saying that fast five times in a row) a few weekends ago. I sat with Toodie and Frank and we watched him compete. Doesn't he look handsome?!

That's all I've got. We love all of you and pray for you often. If you think of us in your prayers, please pray for David's HR paperwork to get started quickly and for me to finish the year strong with Bible Study Fellowship. Only three class nights left! I'll be sad to not see those kids over the summer. They have taken a little soft spot in my heart.

Love you - Missy

Wrapping Up Winter

According to my weather app, the high today should reach 72 degrees. With that being said, it is time for us to wrap up winter. I say this with confidence as I didn't even wear socks today.

With David graduated, we've been squeezing everything we can into this time knowing that his time will be limited in the near future, Lord willing. So I thought I'd work backwards over the past several weeks and share some of our adventures.

Last weekend we were total road warriors. Our goal - North Texas. Halfway point - Bella Vista, AR. We spent the night with Ed and Bobbie. The evening was monumental. Sam the cat actually tried to jump in my lap during dinner. Not to mention Bobbie provided a delicious three-course meal complete with red meat and ice cream.

Then we hit the highway again for some R&R time with Dad and Pat at Crooked Creek Ranch. Visitors must always keep a few things in mind at CCR. First, the foreman cooks a mean breakfast, so a late morning just isn't smart. Sunday morning it was eggs benedict and hash browns with coffee. Take a look at that plate.

In addition, watch your snacks. This is their ranch. And they take kindly to sharing.

Lastly, firearms are welcome. But only half-smiles for the camera, please.

We had a big 'ole time celebrating Dad's birthday with them. Thanks, Dad and Pat, for your hospitality and loads of love. We had a blast. We got to see Mom, too! She drove several hours to see our faces. And she looked so pretty, but I still forgot to take a picture with her. Darn! Mom, we love you and loved seeing you. :)

One week before that I was headed to New York City for work, so David snagged a buddy pass from Melissa and we hit the town for two days. What a trip! Well, more so for David. I had to work most of the time, but who can complain when they get to spend an afternoon and an evening seeing the sights with their handsome hubby? We stayed right on Times Square and took pictures like wild, crazy, annoying tourists on our way to lunch the first day.

Naturally, we knew a traditional NYC deli was in the plans. Who doesn't crave pounds of greasy deli meats and teeny tiny sodas for $5 with no refills? We do! David finished his colossal BLT and declared a new diet upon reaching Missouri soil.

And what's winter without a snow day including school closings and news stories covering the pillaged grocery shelves by panicked shoppers who inevitably make it out onto the roads the very next day? We call that a sad winter season. Since Forest Park is one of the things we love most about St. Louis, that's where we go when Schnucks' checkout lines go 25 deep. All you need is a pizza pan and snow pants, people. They even light up the ponds at night and build fires to warm your noses in these parts. You just can't be afraid of looking like a bit of a dork.

That's all for now. We love you, miss you and pray for you often! Please be praying for David's job search and interviews!

Missy Morgan

On this Coke Zero, Floor-Pacing Sunday...

We woke up this morning to gray skies that had just finished spitting ice as the temperature reached 33 degrees. I didn't budge an inch until 9:30 and we slouched around in our thick winter robes with cozy slippers and warm oatmeal until church. The sky is still very gray with constant drizzle.

This fabulous, dreary-weather Sunday is pulling us in two directions. Restfulness and study time. Medicine is calling David's name, and I have the notes and lesson to complete for our study in Genesis this week. Boy, is God guiding me through submission (do not fear the word - it is good stuff) and trusting obediently in His plans. What a book!

David is feeling the pressure as he enters his last week until he takes his boards. Loved ones, if you think of us this week please pray for him to be able to focus and really churn through all of the material.  And pray for me to be a good helper for him this week as he prepares. I won't even be in town when he takes it. I am flying out on Thursday for Wisconsin (brrrrr) and return Friday evening. Wish I could be there to send him off with a good breakfast and a hug - darn. :( The best I can do for now is replenish our depleted supply of Coke Zero (the morphine equivalent for David's book pains) and clear the shotgun path through our apartment in anticipation for his late-hour, nose-in-book pacings.

I did not have the opportunity to share his graduation days. My bad! It can be summarized into two words - blur and fantastic. It was a blur because of the timing. It followed Thanksgiving by only a week and a half. We had David's three buddies (John, Joseph and Adam) in the weekend before. And the day after the graduation activities came to a close, we hopped on a plane for a 3-week vacation in AR and AZ. I would have forgotten to breathe if my body didn't do it on it's own!

It was fantastic for a number of reasons. Starting with the hooding ceremony. Debbie, Mikel and Carolyn met me at the SLU campus for this small gathering on Thursday, December 12. The students, all wearing broad smiles of relief, received their hoods and off we went to a reception where they each stood before their class, family members and faculty to share their best memories and give thanks. This is a good shot of our handsome graduate with his new, shiny hood. Everyone cleans up nice, eh?

Now, we can all say we get a smidge nervous in regards to public speaking. I believe it is the worst when a family member is in the room or the worst yet - your peers. As it turns out, David's palm-sweating resistance to that entire portion of the event was a crazy front. He was great!. Who knew David had kept his entire class so entertained for 2.5 years? His polycystic kidney dream was a top memory for many and even a Halloween costume for a few. He had everyone laughing before they gave him the mic. So much for all the nervousness. What a front! He had us all in stitches in the first thirty seconds. And is it just me, or does he look extremely comfortable in front of this entire group?

As soon as it ended, we knew we were in a pickle. We had yet to finish packing to stay at Dave and Melissa's until Saturday and even more pressing, for our 2 week backpacking and Christmas trip to Arizona. Bless our hearts, we were fortunate to have found our socks and a tie for David that morning. Disarray! We had 20 minutes to stop by the house, create a cloud of luggage flurry, and blast over to the airport to pick Mom up and then join the rest of the family at the Dyess residence in Ellisville.

The next day was the larger ceremony. Ten of us convened in the bleachers to celebrate. Thanks, you guys! David got a bit choked up when they called his name and he heard us all cheering him on.

We are so thankful for your constant prayers, presence and encouragement throughout this whole process. God so knew we would need each of you and He so kindly blessed us to be here in St. Louis surrounded by family while we missed the rest of you in Arkansas, Arizona, New Hampshire and Texas.

Toodie and Frank Schaper

Melissa Dyess (Dave was there in spirit!)

Julie and Bill Newberry

Ignore my poofy jacket, people. The temperature dropped something silly (maybe 15 or 20 degrees) from when we left the front door to walking out of the ceremony, so David was sweet to let me borrow his jacket. I didn't realize I looked like an accessorized fullback until just now.

My mom (Sandy Morris), Carolyn Newberry and Debbie Morgan

(Behind the camera - Mikel Morgan)

Me and Mom with the grad - Mom, you are a gem for making the trip!!!

That evening David and I along with Mikel, Debbie, Mom and Carolyn headed to the graduation dinner and party. Call it exhaustion from the week or the entire program - after we ate and heartily embraced the candy bar, we did not last long. After all, we had some packing to do the next morning and a very sweet aunt and uncle were picking us up at 9:30 am...at our place...thirty minutes away...to go to the airport.

To give you a taste of the topic for my next post, I share with you evidence of our public humiliation by luggage. We'll never know if people laughed in our faces because of the sheer baggage volume or the Hefty trash bags. Either way, we fully own that we are one of two couples (the other shall remain unnamed and easily assumed) who require a luggage carrier for only two people.

Big hugs and love to all of you!

Missy Morgan