I Corinthians 10:13:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
A fellow believer and I were planning an outing for our Branch fellowship, which was primarily comprised of young, very fit, active military. Our plan was to hike into the Olympic National Park for a day, camp for an upcoming long weekend, and hike out for a day. We selected a ridge above the Dosewallips River well into the park as our destination.
In our preparations, we determined to scout the hike in advance, as well as the target campsite, to make sure our upcoming Branch trip would be adequately provisioned and that each participant would be properly equipped. Since both of us were active military, we requested time from our respective commands and were granted a few days to hike in, camp for a night at our target site, and then hike back out.
We prepared our backpacks with food, clothing, tents, bedrolls, tools, climbing gear, safety equipment, and our Bibles. Very early in the morning, we drove to the ranger station nearest to our step-off point, parked, and started up the trail. The hike was rigorous, and we stopped a few times to rest, eat, and enjoy the view. The higher we hiked, the grander the view became. We were sure that this upcoming Branch trip would be great.
We arrived at our camp site a couple of hours before darkness set in, plenty of time to set camp. In the Pacific Northwest in the summer, each day can provide a little more than seventeen hours of light, with full sunrise at about 5:00 a.m. and darkness setting in around 10:30 p.m. Before we sat to relax and enjoy the last few hours of light, we marked the opening to the trail so we could find it in the morning’s dim light.
We walked through the vegetation to the edge of the ridge and we enjoyed the views from atop the high ridge. We noticed some clouds developing in the valley below. We watched as they swayed from one side of the valley to the other, growing in size with each movement. We turned in, each to our own tent, and slept soundly.
When we awoke in the morning and came out of our tents, we saw the campsite covered in a very dense fog. We could no longer see the valley below. Our visibility was cut to just a few feet. We couldn’t see the markers we set the evening before to show us the way to our trail for our exit out of the park.
As we got out our maps and compass, we saw where we were on the maps, what direction we should go, and even saw where we were in relation to the Dosewallips River. We decided we could use the sound from the river as part of our guide until we had hiked below the ridge of fog and visibility would improve. We knew to hike in an easterly direction and that the river would be just to our north all day.
We made our way to where we determined the trailhead to be. But as we walked, the vegetation we walked on the evening before ended and we found ourselves walking on the edge of a ridge, high in the Olympic National Park on loose rock and small boulders. That was very different ground and we had only walked for a couple of minutes. We did not remember seeing this the evening before.
We stopped and consulted the map and our compass. We could hear the river below us, so we knew we were probably going in the right direction. But when we checked the compass, it said we were traveling west and that the river, which we knew to be to the north, was to our south. It did not make sense. We tried different directions and came back with the same conclusion. In just a few minutes, less than ten, we became lost in the 1,442 square miles of mountains. If we followed our map, we would either make our way to the ranger station or hike into the center of the park, which was uninhabited. The same was true for the compass. The information from the compass and the maps did not agree.
We decided our best course of action was to stop, spend time in prayer, and ask God what we should do. We did. After a few minutes, we both knew that we were to follow the compass. We also knew our journey would not be on trails, and that it would be arduous. But we also knew that when we finally got to the area around the ranger station, we would have an opportunity to share God’s Word with the first person we saw. That became our destination. That was our guidance.
Over the next three days, we hiked off-trail, descended slippery waterfalls, waded across pools, slept in the rain on rocks, and ate portions of the provisions we brought. We reminded each other of the promises of God we knew by reciting retemories (scriptures we’ve retained in our memory) to and with each other. We also reminded each other of the guidance we received at the top of the ridge.
At one point, as we were descending the edge of a waterfall, we lost one of the packs as it fell into the pool far below us. When we got to the pool, we could not see the pack, and moved on without it. That night, as we set camp under some fallen trees to escape the rain, we discovered it was my pack that was lost. In it was my Bible, the one I had been using for years, with all my notes in it, and a few papers and letters that blessed me.
On the morning of the third day of hiking, we came over a small ridge and stepped onto a paved road. We were so thankful to have made it back but did not know which direction the ranger station would be. As we talked, a car came around the bend and we waved to stop it. We had to fulfill our guidance and share God’s Word with whoever was in the car. The car stopped and out stepped three of my fellow service members. They were surprised to see us and told us how we had been reported as missing. We told them about our adventure and how God protected us as we journeyed out of the park.
A few months after, I received a package in the mail that contained my old Bible. It had been found in the remnants of my backpack. The hiker determined an animal had discovered my lost backpack, ripped it open to get my food, and left the Bible.
God protected us by providing for us the path we should go. We knew how to go to Him for our need because of what The Way International had taught us.
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