Along the Dirt Path - Among the Realm

A long time has passed since the Honduras trip. It has taken me awhile to process and get to the point where I want to write about the experience on my blog.

A large part of the men’s trip is to challenge ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. We get plenty of opportunity to do all three. The part where all three happen at the same time is on the hike. This time the team hiked 12 miles and this was further than we have hiked on any of the previous trips. Did I mention we carry our gear in backpacks the entire way.

I have learned on these hikes that it’s not just about arriving at the end point. It is also about what you see along the way and the people you meet. I believe God places “divine appointments” in front of us but can easily be overlooked if we are too focused on reaching the end goal. There are a lot of life lessons that are derived from these hikes. Often times humans become focusedÂ only on the end goal and not the path that has gotten us there. It is in those little moments that we learn about ourselves and others.

There are times on this hike when the body shuts down and cannot handle the stress (mentally and physically) put upon it. In this moment you become forcedÂ to rely on someone else to get you through. As guys and Americans that is a difficult thing to do. But many guys learn this on the hike and they come out on the other side a much more humble man than there were before.

Vinny leading us on a part of the hike

This is a view of a section of the trail that we were about to climb

One of my favorite photos from the trip

That is one amazing view

Deep in the jungle

This is the section of the hike that is commonly known as Jurassic Park. Why has this section earned that name.. .you ask? I will tell you… its muddy, its steep, you will fall and there are dinosaurs… ok not really.