I’m back in my hometown of Wrightwood. In the 80’s, this was my stomping grounds. My son Billy went to kindergarten here, both my children learned to ski and this was the place that I entered my career with the State of California. Very fond memories and entering the San Bernardino mountains has been one of the highlights of my hike to this date. 

  
As I left Big Bear, the PCT followed the north rim of the lake. It reminded me much of the Tahoe Rim Trail looking down on the water below. It was stunning and a beautiful backdrop before heading into Holcomb Valley. Just a bit of nostalgia, Holcomb Valley was known to produce the largest find of gold in Southern California. 

  
The trail has been good to me this past week. I entered the area of much water, Holcomb Creek, Dry Creek and the Mojave River. Long went the days of carrying liters upon liters of water as the creeks and rivers were flowing. What I wasn’t expecting was the barren landscape due to the past fires. 

  
As I past through this area, God spoke to me in such a way that I will never look at a fire scarred area the same. He shared with me that when I accepted His son as my savior, my sins were washed away! Just like a fire that sweeps through the forest, all the old is removed, the rotted trees are devoured, the brokenness of the terrain is refined, the infestation of mold is radicated, and it is all made new again. Reborn! I could see the beauty of the new growth, the pine saplings that were pushing up through the earth, the tiniest flowers sprouting, the birds and bees returning to this once scarred area ready for renewal and rebirth. Only God can see the goodness in something that we find ruined, and accept what is truly beautiful in His eyes. 

I had so much time to reflect on Gods word, His kindness and love, how He has protected me during these past weeks. He showed me that balance in life occurs when He is the cornerstone, the centerpiece of our life. As I was nudged to take this photo, I only saw a pile of rocks but when I looked at my photo, it was so clear that there was a cross perfectly placed on the cornerstone of these boulders. God has to hit me over the head at times to get my attention, but this brought me to my knees! When I quiet myself, only then can I hear His voice and follow His lead. 

  
This has been a week of incredible blessings. I have found water easily, my strength has surpassed anything I could imagine, I have met new friends and seen old trail friends that I thought were far ahead, and God has brought me a super hero trail buddy to keep me company. Deborah who goes by “Doc” or as I call her “Running Bear” came into my campsite a few nights ago tired from hiking 20 plus miles. I told her she was welcome to share my tiny sand spit as I planned to cowboy camp, that’s camping without a tent! We hit it off and ends up she is a friend of Jules, my past hiking partner. We have hiked over 60 miles together in the past three days and we plan to head out of Wrightwood together. I love hiking in solitude, but I also enjoy sharing my adventure with a friend. The past couple of days we have managed to chase down a very large black bear, hike in 50 mph gusts without being blown off course, sleep in a den of scorpions for a very short time, five minutes to be exact, and share much laughter on the trail. 

  
So what have I learned this week? Quiet myself. In the midst of noise, pressures and daily humdrum, it is difficult to hear God’s voice. However, when I take time to stop and listen, I can hear God speaking to me ever so clearly. He wants to have a deeper relationship with me, more that I ever knew and I am so enjoying our time together! 

  
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10