Pictured Rocks

"He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work." Psalm 104:10‑13

This past weekend, Sandra and I went hiking through some beautiful countryside. We went to a place in "da UP" called Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I highly recommend this place for any who enjoy being in God's wonderful creation, nature. We drove up on Saturday morning, hiked around for 11 miles or so and then settled in for the evening. The next day we finished our trek by going another 5 miles or so. Needless to say that our backs were a bit tired from carrying our packs, but it was so much fun! It really is beautiful up there and it was so inspiring to see the works of the Great Artist, our Creator. He is so imaginative. It reminded me of "the Magician's Nephew", the prequel to the Narnia series when the new world was created. Walking through the forrest and just trying to take in all of the scenery and animals. Unfortunately there were no bear sitings, (sorry mom) but we did see chipmunks, rabbits, bugs, spiders, and a plethora of species of birds. Here are a few pictures to show you what it some of it looks like. We didn't get anywhere near to seeing everything that the area has to offer so I'm guessing we'll go back when it warms up again. I'm also looking forward to hiking the Porcupine mountains area, but agian, it'll have to wait :) If anyone wants to visit us AND have a great outdoor adventure, be sure to come on up to MI for a few days!

Also, after we got back from our adventurous hike, I ran a 10K here in town and survived. I was tired, stiff, and sore after hiking for so long and then driving in a car for 4+ hours, but I managed a 12th place finish overall and 2nd in my age group. I finished in 44:25, not bad considering. This run just confirmed that I think I can successfully finish my upcoming marathon in under 3:30. We will soon find out!

A Picture of us at Chapel Rock


Sandy at Mosquito Falls


Sandy and I on the shores of Lake Superior


Just one reason why the area is called Pictured Rocks