I’ve been walking the trails off Gravel Pit Road — series 400 logging roads in Jackson Demonstration State Forest — for about eight years.
Recently, via a local trails map, I discovered a path I had hiked many times made a loop.
I wasn’t sure how long it would take to walk the entire loop, so I set out to hike the west side for forty minutes one way.
When I reached that time limit, I saw an old wooden plank painted red and broken into pieces. I thought it made a good marker to alert me when I’d be coming from the other direction.
The next time I went on the trail, I began hiking from the east side of the loop.
I prayed not to step on any banana slugs because they were plentiful and in multiple sizes from tiny to large.
After forty minutes passed, I wondered: Should I keep going? Did I veer off on a side trail? Am I even close to the midpoint?
I began photographing landmarks I didn’t recognize and taking note of how many minutes I had been hiking.
After an hour I thought: Maybe I should turn back. I don’t recognize anything. Yet I feel like I’m close.
That’s when I saw some pieces of red wood. Not the exact pieces on the other half of the loop, but certainly from the same plank of wood. How far away could I be? Truth be told, I was very close.
In many areas of life I tend to believe I’m lost right before I’m “found.” But God always knows where I’m going, even if it is in a grand loop.
Photos © Sondra Sula.
Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.
If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.