Forever Remembered

July 6, 1994 - Storm King Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

While fighting a wildfire,  14 firefighters (2 Smoke Jumpers, 2 Helitac Crew and 10 Hot Shots) were trapped in dense oak brush as the fire raged toward them. Unable to make it up the rugged mountain, the 14 gave their lives protecting a town in which none of them lived.

The Storm King fire is very close to our hearts, as it occurred the same year that Jay worked on the Flagstaff Hot Shot Crew. One month after the Storm King 14 perished, Jay and his crew were called to fight a fire in Idaho. The loss of their brothers and sisters weighed heavy on their minds as they flew into Boise.

Our wedding was scheduled for October 8. Every Sunday, our church prayed for the safety of Jay and his crew and for Jay to make it home in time for our wedding. After 30 straight days working on the fire line, our prayers were answered. Rain put out the fire and 3 weeks before the wedding, Jay returned home.

Today, Jay and I had the honor of remembering the fallen 14 at Storm King Mountain. After the fire, volunteers created a memorial trail from the base of the mountain to the places the 14 lost their lives. The trail was left rugged and steep as it was for the fire fighters that day. As you hike, you focus on the demanding and dangerous work the firefighters endured. In the sweltering heat, they carried 60 pounds of gear up the steep slopes, fighting their way through thickets and underbrush.

At the summit, the first memorial stands. It is dedicated to all 14. Here, people leave a variety of tokens ranging from hats, scarves and fire fighter specific mementos.

From there, the trail leads to the top of the escape route they all tried to reach. The trees are covered with t-shirts and bandannas from all over the country. Someone even left a Pulaski fire fighting tool in the tree.

A steep decent then leads to the granite crosses and shrines of 12 of the 14. Here, 2 Smoke Jumpers and 10 Hot Shots are forever remembered. It was obvious they were all trying to help each other, not wanting to leave anyone behind. The two Helitac Crew memorials are another 1/10 mile in the opposite direction. It was a solemn and touching sight.

The mountain is now, 21 years later, regenerating. As a beautiful tribute, yellow daisies, purple wildflowers and green tree blossoms are dotting the mountain. We left our token and our prayers with them on the mountain.

The Storm King 14 - Forever Remembered:
Jon Kelso; Levi Brinkley; Tami Bickett; Jim Thrash; Kathi Beck; Terri Hagen; Doug Dunbar;
Roger Roth; Scott Blecha; Rob Johnson; Bonnie Holtby; Don Mackey; Richard Tyler;
Robert Browning Jr.

Our Greatest Grace

"There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health except it be sickness, and that has often been a greater mercy to me than health...It is a good thing to be without trouble; but it is a better thing to have a trouble and know how to get grace enough to bear it."
Charles H. Spurgeon - The Simplicity and Sublimity of Salvation

I know that some of you are aware of Kara Tippetts' blog and Facebook page, Mundane Faithfulness. Kara, a church planter's wife and mom of 4, passed away on March 22 at the age of 38, following a long battle with breast cancer. In her blog and her book, The  Hardest Peace, Kara chronicles her journey of finding grace amid lifes hard. This brave and beautiful woman kept her heart and her eyes firmly on Jesus throughout her illness. She displayed courage and thankfulness in all things.

Finding grace to bear troubles is not something that happens automatically-we must seek grace. God is willing and able to cover us with His perfect peace and grace, but we must be seekers. Kara wasn't afraid to admit when she was loosing her peace. She was humble and cried out to God. In return, God poured out his peace on her and her family.

We find it easy to shout praises and thankfulness when life is easy or when our prayers are answered the way we want them to be. It is easy to pray for ease of life or for troubles to pass us by.
Praising God and giving thanks in the gray, dark tunnel of sickness, pain and trouble is the hardest praise of all, yet, I believe that this praise penetrates deepest into the heart of God.

Charles Spurgeon said there is no greater mercy than to have sickness and trouble and know how to get enough grace to bear it. What is this great grace?

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness (grace), declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ  Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins.

This is the greatest grace - JESUS! God gave us His one and only so that we can know grace and live grace and share grace.

"Cancer showed me the gift and strength of weakness, that in the place of utter inability, Jesus was able." Kara Tippetts - The Hardest Peace

JESUS is able! He is able to be our grace and our peace.
I pray today that the grace and peace of Jesus will be with you all.

Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness"
 2 Corinthians 12:9

Blessings,
Mandy

Busy Travel Days

We have had a busy few days,

Monday was our last day at Zion National Park. We chose to spend the day hiking The Narrows, one of Zion's most loved hikes. Beginning at the bottom of The Narrows, day hikers can opt to hike up to 10 miles, one way upstream and return downstream the same way they came.
This time of year, the water temperature averages between  41 and 43 degrees, and approximately 80% of the hike takes place in the river. We wanted to stay as comfortable as possible, so we rented some specialized gear: Dry Pants, Canyoneering River Boots and heavy duty hiking sticks. We had our own neoprene socks, so we were set. After a few minutes in the water, our feet numbed to a tolerable point.

We fought our way upstream, often in thigh to hip high deep pools. We hikes 2 miles upstream to a stopping point called Wall Street, where the canyon walls narrow to 25-30 feet apart.

It was truly one of our all time favorite hikes.


Tuesday, we packed up camp and drove a few hours to Moab, Utah. We plan to spend a couple of weeks exploring Canyonlands National Park and The Arches National Park.....after a quick side trip.

About a month ago, Jay received a call from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. They asked him to interview for a Program Manager position with their Forest Management Division. His interview is scheduled for Thursday April 9.

We left our camper in Moab at the RV Park and drove the 8 hours to Fort Collins today. The trip should have only taken 7 hours, however, with numerous road work delays, and a car sick puppy, it took a little longer than anticipated. We loved the views along the drive. We say people skiing the mountains at Vail and Copper Mountain. The Rockies are snow covered and stunning!

With Jay's interview tomorrow, we are going into it with the mindset of if this is where God wants us to be, He will open wide the doors. If not, He will place brick walls in our path. We learned this way of praying fro our dear friends, The Steiners.
We ask that you join us in prayer to make the right decisions and that we will have peaceful hearts.

Blessings,
Mandy

O' Zion...Zion!

This week, we are  visiting Zion National Park. We have taken a scenic drive through the park - as far as allowed. This time of year, there are so many visitors to the park, you are required to use their shuttle service to gain access to the main hiking trails and scenic viewing areas.

Yesterday, we spent the morning hiking the Emerald Pool and Grotto Trails. These steep trails aren't quickly navigated, but the views are more than worth the effort. There are three pools, each larger than the last. The middle pool flows down into the lower pool in a beautiful waterfall. Squeals from those hikers under the cool spray can be heard echoing off the canyon walls. In the summer, this is most certainly a welcomed relief, however, on a cool spring morning, most people were content to run through as quickly as possible.

Today, Jay did a hike to Angels Landing. I read the hiking information and because extreme heights and I are not on good terms, I decided to sit this one out. Angels Landing is a strenuous hike with large rocks and boulders to navigate. It has sheer, 1000 foot cliffs with nothing but a thin chain between you and the edge. Many people find this too extreme, and are forced to turn around. Jay loved the hike and did have to assist a lady on his return hike. She could not handle the heights and wanted to go home!

We are looking forward to more exploring and hiking a place called The Narrows - a 3 mile hike in the Virgin River - on Monday.

Being here, it is easy to understand Isaac Behunin - the first permanent European-American settler in the canyon. He stated, "a man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church - this is Zion".

If, like me, you grew up in a church that sung the old-loved hymns, you too would have the refrain 'Zion...Zion...I long thy gates to see' running through your mind while looking over these great canyons and cathedrals. You can see the very hand of God and feel His near presence.

Blessings,
Mandy