ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, I had the opportunity to backpack across a beautiful mountain range in New Mexico with six other young women at Philmont Scout Ranch. We had been grouped together for an expedition offered by Philmont through a unique Venture Scouting BSA (Boy Scouts of America) program. The motto: "Expect the unexpected." We covered about 200 miles in 21 days, and our group got along fabulously.
The biggest challenge occurred on the day we planned to peak Mt. Baldy in New Mexico at 12,441 feet. As we began hiking, a storm raged, lasting most of the day. About 50 yards from the peak, we could see lightning strikes all around us. We were at a point where we had to press on and continue without peaking the mountain, so we had to hike off the trail, traversing the ridge around the peak. Under these severe weather conditions, we had no other choice. It took us close to six hours to traverse the mountain, whereas peaking it would have taken ten minutes. We all feared for our lives. The terrain was gravel-like rock and extremely steep and slippery all the way around the mountain.
Our trip leaders half-jokingly told us to pray. But I took them seriously and was glad for the reminder. I remembered this Psalm, "The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" (121:8). As I prayed with this comforting Scripture in mind, I could feel the fear lift from me, and I knew we were all united and protected by our common source—God. We began singing and tried to keep each others' spirits high, until we arrived safely at the trail on the other side.
