Malawi Debrief.
The beginning of month 7.
This debrief was my favorite one so far.
I knew what I needed, and met that need. Coming from Zambia, us guys were kinda trapped (ironic I know). There was very little nature time. The sunrises and sunset where very limited, if not nonexistent. And our Adventure Days consisted of going to Lusaka to get wifi (BORING). So coming into debrief I needed to adventure and maybe get into a little trouble. So Meagan and I wandered off and happened to run into the national park guys who showed us the trail head which goes to the top of the mountain that overlooks the lake and the valley.
We both looked at each other and knew that we had to go for the sunrise. The locals were insistent that we pay them to guide us up and down the mountain, so that we wouldn’t get lost. We kindly said we didn’t need any help, knowing full well we would leave at 400 am to get to the top. We kept the expedition under wraps, because in order to do this right we would have to not get caught by the park guards, so we wouldn’t have to pay the $10 entry fee. Plus we really had no idea what we were doing, and adding more people means more possibilities for trouble.
Haley (being Meagan’s roommate) joined us at 345 am the next morning. We departed for the mountain with headlamps on, the Milky Way staring down at us. We made it to the trailhead only getting lost once. I let Meagan lead, as I waited for Haley. We were practically running up the trail. I trusted Meagan 100%. She was always just in eye shot, head lamp shining forward, as I was illuminating my feet trying to not trip.
The trip up took an hour and half, and it was absolutely stunning. As we reached the peak, we no longer needed headlamps. We went off trail to find the best look out point. With our heads literally in the clouds, I couldn’t help and reflect on the journey up. how all I needed to do was focus on what the next step was, and trust the light in front of me, guiding me down the path I needed to take to reach the pinnacle of the journey. (A total Jesus moment).
But the journey never ends at the top, breakfast and Devo’s started in an hour and half. We could see our lodge from the top, but the trail getting back was not as clear. Haley took the lead. It is funny, the more we could see of the mountain, the more we didn’t know where to go. It was as if, the darkness kept us on the path. With one bad turn Haley took us down the mountain, void of any visible path.
We were totally lost. Meagan and I looked at each other, clearly knowing we were completely lost but we continued to descend the mountain hoping a trail would reveal itself. Meagan and I have a clear belief that if we continue and persist with optimism that eventually things will work out. I trusted HS completely. However, as time ticked on the more lost we got. The girls started to get irritated, and I was thinking we should go back to the top and try again. (I mean come on, what is life if not a tango 2 steps forward 1 step back).
After 45 mins of mindless wandering I spoke up and took charge to take us back to the top, to try and find the trail again. I was totally lost, I knew God got us, if it took us an hour and 5…we would get down the mountain. But more the anything I didn’t want to get me, and the girls, more lost (because at this point they were ready to just go trail-less down the mountain). However I knew the trail would be faster. Within 10 minutes of trekking upward we found the top, and found a clearly marked trail and started descending down the mountain at a brisk pace.
Spirits were elevated again, and the idea of making it down in time for devos was very much a possibility. We learned the trail markers, and saw a split in the trail. One taking us down another way, so instead of taking the route we already knew we took the new way. Everything was great.
We had descended at least 3/4 of the mountain in 30 mins, then we lost the trial. The trail started taking us around the other side of the mountain away from the lodge. Haley googled a map, and now we finally had a map of where the trails take us…we weren’t on a trail that went to the bottom, just one that went in circles. The idea of making it time for breakfast is nonexistent, yet my trust in the Lord to get us down was unwavering. Whatever happened, we were going to be good.
We decided finally to blaze our own trail from where we lost the trail…we could see the roofs of houses below us. We b-lined it for the houses. I led the way, trying to take the route that would beat us up the least. By the end all of our legs were bloodied as we showed up in the backyards of the houses. Nothing like 3 white people showing up in your backyard randomly at 845 am while your trying to do laundry. We kindly asked which was the exit to the park, and we slid past the entrance undetected, arriving just in time for breakfast and devos.
Even though we were totally lost. I was unwavering in my belief that God had us totally in the palm of his hands. That we would get us back, and no matter what happened, we were good. And He got us back in time FOR BREAKFAST! Which absolutely blows my mind.
This is a lesson I will, odds are, continuously need to learn in this last half of the race. No matter what, keep pushing, keep trusting, keep up the optimism, sometimes we might need to backtrack if we get lost, but God will get us back in time for breakfast. We are in his hands.
Blows my mind.
This little adventure sums up debrief extremely well for me. So many lessons In that tiny adventure. It seems to encapsulate where I am in my journey in the WR. Trusting that no matter what, God wants to get you back for breakfast.
