Woods and Water

I spent some time outdoors today at Big Soddy Creek Gulf. It's one of my go-to places to get outdoors, to be in the woods, near water, in nature. I took my hammock and a blanket with me because I had full intentions to "hike and hang". I ended up exploring off trail to find the perfect hammock spot and found instead a beautiful creek spot with rocks, deep water, and some flowing water over rocks. There was  even one big rock with a crack in it that had two thin trees growing up out of it. I didn't end up in the hammock. That's okay. I was prepared. I hiked by the ridge overhangs and back down to the creek, creating my own path. When I was ready to go, I decided to cross the rocks to get to the other side of the creek and make my way to the trail on the other side. I could see the bridge from where I was, so I knew I didn't have far to go. The spot I was at today would be perfect in the warm weather to cool off and swim around. The water was clear and deep. 

I noticed birds chirping as I walked the path, leaves crunching underfoot-- especially in the off trail section. I unintentionally knocked down a very tall, but dead tree (TIMBER!) as I pulled on it to steady myself. I noticed the gurgling water in the creek and the stillness of the deeper areas of the pooled water. It was sunny with clear blue skies and 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

My "water and woods" time reminded my of the days I would take off into the mountain woods at my Dad's campground, Trails Inns of Dalton. I would go up into the woods by the creek and wander along the mossy creek bed. The water is comforting to me, as is the tree canopy. It's home.

I guess my soul needed to connect today. It felt good.

I wrote this for the Advent Word of the day, Creator:

"Today's word is #Creator.

Do you ever feel compelled to get out into creation? I do. Today, in fact, I felt the urge to get in some woods and water time with the Creator. Time with Creator always calms my soul, clears my mind, and restores peace. Being in creation allows me to see, hear, and smell things differently. The different perspective helps me listen more closely to the One who knows me best, the One who created me. I am grateful for some Creator time today in the woods and by the water. It was an ADVENTure. :)
#AdventPhoto #AdventWord?

I recently saw the word "adventure" written "ADVENTure" . I thought I had seen it in a book by Michael Roberts: Wanting More: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. But as I went back to look for it, I couldn't find it. Hmmm..... Where did I see that? I know I read it somewhere. It caught my attention because it's the season of Advent for one. And two, I love a good adventure. Life is full of them.

As I explored the woods today, I considered my Advent ADVENTure and it felt good to get off the path, to go into the unknown willingly and intentionally (contrasted to, well, you know, kicking and screaming and simply having to). There is much unknown in life and we traverse it often (or at least that's my experience.)  But there is something different about setting out on an adventure with no exact plan other than to enjoy, to take in every moment, to make the most of the situation.

And though I didn't "hike and hang", I still had fun. It was definitely an adventure. Even the tree falling was adventurous. I wondered: 'could I have heard that tree fall if I hadn't been right next to it?' I'm kidding. Well, in truth, I DID think that. :) 

It was good to play in the woods. Yes, play. That's what it was. I did hike. But I played. I even blew bubbles on the way back to the car. All of those are spiritual practices for me and part of my ongoing spiritual formation.

Here are some of my photos from today's adventure at Big Soddy Creek Gulf.

Enjoy.

May you find ways to enjoy creation and have an ADVENTure this Advent Season.

Rev. Deb

Truck Tent Camping-- a new experience

Have you ever wanted to try something new, something different? Whether that was a new food or new hobby, a new author to read, etc., how did the new and different turn out? What did you learn? How did it expand your world?

I've been wanting to get back into tent camping for a while now. During the pandemic I set up my Kelty backpack tent in the backyard and enjoyed a night under the stars. We have "glamped" in a friend's tent in their backyard, enjoying the amenities of decorative lights, fans, and places to plug in our phones. 

The "itch" to camp wouldn't go away, but I was told that three quarters of a century bones weren't going to get on the ground again to camp. So my solution? A tent that went in the back of a truck. I researched and researched. Then one came available from a place I do some shopping locally. I got it. Then I researched truck mattresses, because of the "bone" thing and I knew comfort was important. I got some RV sized queen sheets that are a tad smaller. They don't have the side cut-outs like the mattress for the truck, but they work.

My Coleman camper stove from 40 years ago couldn't be found for this trip, so we invested in a camper stove. Prior to that I had already researched and found a Stanley camp French press for coffee and two coffee mugs that will keep the coffee warmer longer. 

We decided to do a trial run locally at Chester Frost Park for a night. I made our reservations about two weeks in advance, choosing a camp site on the water. It's one that we walk by often and it's near the new bath house. 

We had firewood to take with us to keep us warm and to cook our dinner (hotdogs). I made a small charcuterie board for an appetizer.

Knowing it was going to get cold, very cold, over night I brought 3 blankets for us and some hand warmers. The hand warmers weren't the new ones I had just gotten. I couldn't find those. They still worked, but only for about 30 minutes. The 3 blankets weren't enough for the mid to low 30 degrees Fahrenheit that we experienced. An electric blanket could have worked, as we were next to an electric outlet.

I am not sure that the retired guy will camp again until it warms up. I would be willing to give it another try. 

But the night was long and cold. I had taken two pairs of socks, but not wool ones. The semi-working hand warmers helped a bit, but not for long. My feet were the coldest part of me. 

Our adventure did teach us about the tent-- it is different from my Kelty backpacking tent and a tad more difficult to put up. But we did it. We learned about the mattress. I had watched a video about it and knew that the blower had a short cord to the cigarette lighter. "Short" meaning you couldn't blow it up inside the tent. We blew it up outside the tent and stuffed it inside. We will look for a better way to navigate that in the future.

The sunset was a highlight of our adventure, as was the morning fog on the water. 

In the morning, the tent was covered in dew. It wasn't going to dry out quickly enough and there was a possibility I might need to preach for my colleague who had contacted me the evening before. So instead of making coffee at the camp site and eating the banana bread we brought for breakfast, we packed up the things that were still outside (the camp chairs and wood) and made sure the tent was secure. We drove home with the tent in the back of the truck. That was a good lesson too! We now know that if we have to go somewhere once the tent is set up, we can. 

We let the tent dry out while we went to church. I didn't have to preach. I learned that the pastor was feeling better as soon as we got home. 

After church and after everything dried off and was washed and dried, we packed it all away..... until next time.

Besides lessons learned about our camping equipment, it struck me that others spend nights in tents because that is their home. They may or may not have wool socks or hand warmers to keep them warm through the cold night. I reflected on the fact that one night of cold and interrupted sleep was enough for me. What about those who experience night after night of that condition? It made me think of my friends I have met over the years who lived outside. It is a community of people I have served and worked with over many years. I got a glimpse of what living in the cold is like. Now I know to not only buy tube socks (that can be used for many things), but also some wools socks for warmth. I have given out hand warmers in the past. I will continue that.

Sometimes our life experiences are simply experiences. Sometimes they teach us things about ourselves. In addition to learning about the camping equipment and reflecting on those who sleep outdoors consistently, I guess you might say that I learned something about me.

When something gets into my mind seriously enough, there's no stopping it. It will grow and grow until it comes to life. I guess that's called "tenacious". Or, it could be "stubborn". Maybe it's "resilience". I don't know. What I do know is that through all the semi-difficult lessons of the experience, it was a great first experience for me.

I will do it again. I will do some things differently. But isn't that what learning is about? We learn to do things differently when they don't work or no longer work.

Ah, life lessons from a truck tent camping experience.

Peace, 

Deb

More photos: