Slug kisses and a 12k race!

I can’t believe it’s my time at Taurnhof and upward bound is over. What I really can’t believe is that I came out with my life and all 4 limbs as well! These last days have been an experience of a lifetime and unforgettable to say the least. I can’t help but relate my experience to that of the 4 kids who stumbled upon Narnia… The last weeks I haven’t been able to keep a watch, shower, or have any clue what each day had in store, it kind of made the whole experience seem like a dream, like I stumbled through a closet (or LAX) and found myself in Schladming, Austria for 5 weeks of outdoor fun and now I am making my way back into the real world sad to see it go and take my 36 new friends with it, but excited to see what God has in store in these next 3 months.

This past week was our last tour. We arrived back at Taurnhof on Thursday from our very hardest tour of 4 days and were told to get our laundry done quickly with no reasons why. Friday night we were informed that Saturday we would venture off again for another trek. Saturday we had an unusually late start which meant that we all scarfed down breakfast thinking it would be our last warm meal for days but were informed after breakfast that we would be having lunch at T-hof as well. This was peculiar news to our ears that definitely made all of us question and suspect all kinds of horrible things were in store for our next trek. But we left around 1 in the afternoon and had a 2 and a half hour hike up to a hutte after about a 30 minute bus ride to the base of the alp (mind you they had also told us to pack our tents, sleeping bags, swimsuits, thermarests, and we had 2 lunches and our stoves making our packs the heaviest of all tours). We were all so relieved and happy to see a hutte at the top. That means no cooking required for us because breakfast and dinner are provided and a warm bed. This was also great because it POURED rain all night long. Sunday we did a day hike and klettersteig’d (an activity that combines rockclimbing with hiking, it was invented in Italy and is more common in Europe than in the states… very fun!) all along the ridge of a mountainside and returned to the hutte again.

Monday we were awoken early and given a destination for lunch. After a flat and very enjoyable hike we found our lunch destination without a problem… but we were on the very edge of our map. We were then told that we didn’t need our maps because the leaders were going to lead us into unmapped territory. For 3 hours we hiked through the forests and in the rain (off and on) until we stopped in a clearing that was big enough for the leaders to tell us we were going to be on our own for the next 40 – 45 hours. We each had a short piece of rope and received a good sized tarp to make a shelter with. The leaders challenged us to fast during the time and leave our watches and food behind with the leaders and to spend the time with the Lord. We were each given a spot in the forest and were told that we could move within 10 meters (approx 30 feet) of our spot. I had heard rumors about this solo time during our final tour and was happy that I was somewhat prepared mentally to be so alone for the longest time in my life (what a weird thought!)

I was given a spot underneath a tree with enough flat ground to just fit my thermarest and sleeping bag on top of my tarp and fit snug as a bug between a rock and a slope. The first hour alone I finished off the food in my bag (a cookie and some granola) to begin my time of fasting and then I constructed my living quarters using the lowest branches of the tree, my small rope, my carabiner, and my tarp and made a sideways taco for me to slide myself into. It wasn’t all too shabby… I could lay down and sit up in my shelter (a bonus that I later learned not everyone had). As soon as I was finished I realized how cold it really was outside between the storm moving in and my sweat from the hike cooling my body off so I changed into warm clothes, slid into my bag and was fast asleep before the sun went down. I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my tarp and my stomache gurgling sometime in the wee hours of the morning and remembered the wise words of Martin, one of the leaders, who said we should drink our water everytime we realize we are hungry. So I rolled over in my sleeping bag and felt around my little area for my cool waterbottle. Upon feeling it I unscrewed the cap and could not believe what happened next… As I put the water bottle to my lips I found a little friend had made his way onto the top of my bottle, it took a couple of seconds to realize and register that the squishy sensation on my lower lip did not match up with how my metal water bottle normally felt. I then quickly pulled the water bottle away to realize a SLUG had also found my water bottle in the early hours of the morning!!!! You better believe I woke up so fast… I sat straight up and used all of my self control to not gag and wretch at the discovery of my little friend.

For the next 24 hours it rained non-stop meaning I was in my little alcove all day long. It was very cold and hard to get very much done… needless to say we were all happy and relieved to be rescued, I mean told we could pack up and enjoy some hot soup together. Most of us felt weird seeing each other and talking again after fulfilling our vow of silence for the last 45 hours. It was definitely a memorable experience. That night we made our way to a lake in the surrounding area and pitched our tents and enjoyed a bonfire. Funny how appreciative you are of something as simple as a tent when just days before a tent seemed like the pits… Our perspectives were definitely affected by our solo experience.

Thursday morning we awoke to find that we had been abandoned by our leaders and had been left with first aid kits and instructions for each of the teams. We hiked for a few hours and came upon our leaders with a Taurnhof van and trailer behind with instructions to don our running shoes and ditch the packs in the trailer… we were going for a run.

I am not sure what was going through my mind at this point… I smelt like something fierce, I was tired and still somewhat recovering from the trauma of my wakeup kiss, I couldn’t wait to be back at Taurnhof and enjoy a shower and a warm meal… well in no time a line was made in the dirt and we were told it was a race and to follow the orange signs. A 12 kilo run and about an hour and 13 minutes later I arrived at Taurnhof. I am not sure how I got there, but I do know the only thing going through my mind over and over was Isaiah 40:29-31. The rest of the weekend is a blur filled with lots of goodbyes and many trips to the ice cream lady.

I am now in Interlaken with 2 friends traveling through Switzerlandfd until Sunday when Ashley and I head to Paris to meet her mom and say goodbye before I head to Benin!!! I can't believe I will have to leave her side so soon and I can't believe it's already August and I have left Taurnhof!! Thank you for all of your prayers and support... if there's anything that I just have to do or try while in Switzerland senf me your input thoughts and ideas!! Just know that I am on a tight budget, so if it's more than 5 francs it prolly won"t happen... unless it"s absolutely amazing... then maybe I will skip a meal and do it! :) Oh and say a lil prayer for me on Wednesday... Ashley and I are hopping out of a plane for a 45 second free fall!! We're skydiving and I am already getting butterflies... miss you all mucho and I can't wait to share more stories and pics with you!!!