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Extending his hand for Marshall to shake, Dad said, “I look forward to hearing how the planning progresses.” Marshall nodded and smiled before Dad stepped toward Sawyer who was flirting with Ellie.

“You’re a fine young man, Sawyer. Anytime you need to talk about backpacking, trip planning, wilderness rescue, or my beautiful daughter, I’ll be ready to listen,” Dad said.

“Thank you, Mr. Forrest,” Sawyer made eye contact with Dad, and they shook hands.

As we loaded into our vehicles with the bright blue sky above us and the elusive peak filling the horizon, I felt my eyes fill with tears. I love home, and it would be good to return to running water and indoor plumbing, but our time in the wild always seems too short. As we pulled out of the meadow and exchanged final waves with the Miles family, I was especially glad that we would be meeting with the boys in a month to plan our next adventure together. As eventful as the last week had been, I somehow had an empty feeling in my gut. I could not escape the feeling that we didn’t fully accomplish what we set out to do. Dad talks about some hikers being goal-oriented, who will take unwise risks just to make it to the peak. On the contrary, other hikers are experience-oriented, and regardless of whether they achieve the summit, they find joy in the experience.

I’m not sure into which category I fit. I mean, we experienced so much this week, and the skills I learned are invaluable. I am thankful for all that I managed to do, and though it seems strange, I am glad for the opportunity to have pushed myself in such a challenging environment. I think I worked harder in those two days than in all my life – physically and mentally! And spiritually – never have I had to rely on God more fully than when I was covered in snow, contending with pain to keep up with Marshall, and fighting hunger and cold to sleep under the glittery stars. Looking back on the satisfaction acquired from these experiences, I started to think maybe I am experience-oriented.

But, as I watched that big, dangerous summit shrink and finally fade from sight after two hours of driving, I wondered if maybe I am goal-oriented. I admitted to myself that we hadn’t completed our adventure. We set out to see the view from the summit in the moonlight, and though we did get close, it bothered me that we missed out on the sight we risked so much to see.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I sighed into an exhausted sleep, finding comfort that adventure is everywhere. And, no matter where the next adventure in life lies, I’ll have God on my side. That alone makes every day meaningful. So whether I’m climbing a mountain or weeding the neighbor’s garden, each moment is an opportunity to achieve greatness with God.

And I knew right then where I would suggest to the group that we go next summer.

Epilogue

“They’re here!” Lydie announced, barely limping in her walking boot to open the door. Ellie dodged past Mom into the bathroom again to check her hair and the dash of eye shadow she had applied.

“Come on, Ellie!” I moaned. “Sawyer has seen you look filthy and all messy and he knows you’re beautiful anyway. You look ten times better than you normally look around him!” Mom laughed and winked at me.

Ellie ignored my comment and quickly tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear before rushing to the door. Lydie had already let Sawyer and Marshall into the entryway and they were raving over the condition of her left leg. “Look at that range of motion,” Sawyer noted as Lydie showed off some of her physical therapy exercises. Lydie beamed.

“It doesn’t even hurt anymore?” Marshall wondered.

“Hi, guys!” I exclaimed, happy to see our trail buddies again.

They looked up, and Sawyer’s eyes instantly fell on Ellie’s face. He smiled warmly and Ellie returned the expression. Sawyer looked really happy. I knew he had gotten a call from POGS, and they still wanted him to attend this fall, just two months from now. Last week Sawyer had turned eighteen. When POGS heard about the avalanche and how Sawyer led us, they were even more excited that their new youngest student was already so prepared and experienced.

Marshall winked at Lydie and me and then announced, “Should we roll out these topographic maps on the table? The sooner we finish the preliminary planning, the sooner we can take these girls out for tacos. What’s that yummy restaurant here? Enelda’s Enchiladas?”

Lydie and I burst into laughter, and at first Sawyer and Ellie seemed completely oblivious, but then Sawyer remembered the main reason they had come and said, “We don’t need the topographic maps yet. Let’s start by laying out our lists of top five destinations and narrowing it down to two locations. Then we’ll make itineraries and figure out the costs for both proposed trips. Then we’ll decide.”

“And then we’ll get out the topo maps,” Marshall finished.

“But first, we should pray. We want this trip to be in God’s hands, right from the start,” Sawyer explained as we bowed our heads and he asked for God’s blessing on our planning efforts.

We each sat around our dinner table and set our lists in the center, in plain view for each other to read.

My excitement bubbled inside me as I dreamed about the various locations on each of our lists. The Grand Canyon, along with peaks in Alaska, California, Washington and Wyoming were all found amongst our potential trips. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the first location on each of our lists was the same. Apparently we all held the desire to once again try to see the view from the peak we had just left behind.

The thought of returning to the location where we came dangerously close to death was scary. But maybe we had to have victory on it before we could move on to other peaks. Just like in life, we need to overcome our fears before exploring the next adventure. And sometimes the best adventures are found in an avalanche.

Glossary of Terms

Bight (pronounced ‘bite’): a loop of rope used to tie a knot