Being an inherent optimist has its good and bad points, as I realized over this past weekend. While planning for our adventure, I looked at the 31-mile long East Bank Trail and thought to myself, “Hey, that’s not so long! I’ve hiked 10+ miles with a small pack many times with no issues, and that [...]
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
God’s grace is shown in so many ways, and today was no exception. I and approximately 150 other softball [...]
By: Phil Hart
They call them the dog days of summer. For our boys, the dogs have been howling. As the inaugural Mars Hill Softball season is on deck for the last time, a moment of reflection is in order…
Before we do that, accolades are due for the MHO Boys of Summer. They achieved [...]
Or was I?
It was finally t-shirt weather in Seattle. Our Mars Hill Softball team was playing the top team in our league last week. I had just struck out, and we had many runs to make up to overtake our opponent. The other team was out in the field, and [...]
Continue reading about In the wrong place at the wrong time…
When I was younger, my siblings and I would laugh at my mother’s meticulous 3-page packing list that she checked off every time we would go camping. All contingencies were planned for, from rain to heat to bugs to animals, and everywhere we went our needs were effortlessly met. At the beach and [...]
by Janelle Baarspul
You may look at my list from last week and think that I’m one of those people that packs 3 suitcases for every day of travel, containing clothes ranging from a bikini to a parka (just in case!). The thing about hiking that makes it so wonderful is its unpredictability – you [...]
by Janelle Baarspul
Some of my fondest childhood memories involve getting slapped in the face with wet leaves, blistered feet, and the inevitable realization that the trail was always roughly 3 times as long as my Dad had said it would be.
We hiked often, and explored the wild nooks and crannies of many state parks and [...]
Continue reading about Family Hikes: A How-To, How-Not-To, and Why