Hitching with a Hippie

As I stepped on to the crumbly asphalt on the edge of the road, I rehearsed in my mind the things she had told me. “Stand up the road a bit from a spot that is easy to pull over. It will take the driver a few seconds to make decision on whether he wants to pull over, and even then, he will only pull over if there is a spot where it is easy to do so.” I found my spot close to the downward sloping ramp to get on to I-70. Then I thought through the rest of her words. “Take off your pack and place it on the ground in front of you, so that people can see that you are a hiker.” I proceeded to carry out this step, but then I froze.

This was as far as the tips about hitchhiking had gone that I received from Lane, a girl I met while hiking Quandary Peak last week. I new that there was only one step left, but my body resisted carrying out this action. I had to stick out my thumb. This was my first time hitchhiking. I heard that it was a common practice for hikers in Colorado, and I had met many people that had done it. Nevertheless, standing out there on the street in front of a stream of folks cruising by in their plush Sport Utility Vehicles left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. I resisted putting my thumb out because of the humiliation. I felt like I was panhandling; I felt dirty.

I ended up just standing on the side of the road, clutching my pack that sat on the ground for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, I forced my hand up, and timidly popped my thumb up. I felt disgusted with myself, so I looked away. I stood there for ten minutes without having any luck. Ten minutes may be a short time to expect a ride, but I had, had enough.

I crossed the four-lane road, and plumped down on the bench at the bus stop. The free bus would take me to the next town, Frisco, which was five miles closer to my destination: Denver. After riding to Frisco, I got off the bus and once again found a spot near an I-70 entrance ramp. I stuck my thumb out, hoping for a ride. As families and couples walked and biked by me, I once again felt embarrassed. So, I sat down on a bench a few yards away and texted a few friends to complain about hitching with the hope that they would feel sorry for me and come pick me up. Of course, I didn’t want to outright ask them for help though because then I would feel guilty.

After sitting on the bench for a little while, I realized that sitting there would not get me any closer to my destination, and with no better option available (since none of my friends responded to my text), I resumed hitching. Two people stopped, but they were headed in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, their kindness gave me resolve to continue trying. Finally, a guy in well-worn red jeep pulled over on the side of the road. He was well built, had long blonde hair and a full beard. He looked like a typical mountain man. He was headed East, but only one exit further. I figured that traveling one mile closer to home was better than zero miles, so I hopped in his car.

Two minutes down the road, I resumed hitching at a new on ramp. This road was much busier, but I did not seem to have any luck. It might have been the result of the fact that there was no clear place to pull over. In any case, I began to feel degraded after fifteen minutes, so I hobbled on my blistered feet down to Wendy’s and grabbed lunch. After eating, I returned and tried thumbing for another twenty minutes before feeling utterly hopeless. I decided to resume riding the free bus system in order to get back to the point where I got my ride from the mountain man. Unfortunately, I did not know the Summit County bus system well, so I ended up riding around Breckenridge and Frisco for two hours before making it back to my first hitchhiking spot in Frisco.

Once there, I committed myself to thumbing for an hour before seeking other help. After thirty minutes, I received a ride down five miles to Silverthorne. The new location had a busy on-ramp and a clear place to pull over. However, there was already a guy thumbing there. I figured that it was taboo to try to hitch from a spot where someone was already hitching, so I considered abandoning my plot. But, before I could turn around, the guy warmly invited me to join him. His name was Tyler. He is from Missouri and was returning home form the Rainbow Gathering in Utah.

Tyler told me all about the Rainbow Gathering, which is an event that happens once a year for a week that aims to build intentional community. Simply put, it is a gathering of “hippies.” It takes place in a different National Park every year and ten thousand people come. At the event, camping is free, and all food is free (although donations are accepted to offset the cost of food). The use of money is not allowed in the camp, but trading of precious stones, drugs and other things does occur. There is also party-like aspect that some people participate in that involves a drum line and people dancing naked all night long. Upon dawn though, the whole gathering is required to remain silent in reflection until about noon, before gathering together to offer up a blessing of peace for the world. After the event, a group of participants work with the Forest Service to restore the site to its previous condition or as close to it as possible (as Tyler mentioned, no matter how environmentally-thoughtful the group is, ten thousand people are going to leave a mark on the land). I was very intrigued by the way that Tyler described the loving community and the genuine kindness of the people that participate.

Tyler’s description of the Rainbow Gathering kept me entertained as I sat on the side of a busy road breathing in car fumes. I was also humored by the fact that Tyler put two fingers up in a peace sign, while holding his cardboard sign asking for a ride, rather than putting out his thumb. After about thirty minutes, Tyler and I got a ride from a guy named Ross, who was awesome! Our engaging conversation continued in the car. As we drove, Tyler told us more about the gathering and the people that he met there. These people seemed to care for one another with great love even though they did not know each other previously. A couple had given Tyler a ride to Colorado from the gathering and had put him up in their house for a couple of days. As his words rung through my ears, I couldn’t help but think that this was the kind of love that Christians should be displaying. We should be willing to invite in the needy and the traveler. Then, I realized that I could do this. Tyler was traveling to Missouri and had no contacts along the way. The least I could do was offer him a place to stay for the night. Tyler gratefully accepted.

Taken near Grays and Torrys Peaks

Once we got dropped off in Denver, one of my roommates came to pick up Tyler and I. On our way home we picked up some grub, which my stomach welcomed after living off of Ramen and Cliff Bars for a week. When we got home, the conversation with Tyler continued. He told his roommate and I about his home in Missouri. During the last year, Tyler opened his home up to hippies without a home, as well as homeless youth (there are a lot of teens and young adults that travel the country, but have no place to stay). Tyler invited theses folks into his home for free. He didn’t charge them rent and he even used his own money to provide them with food. There were often a dozen or more people in his house. He said that he loved taking care of these people.

As I listened to Tyler talk, I realized that he was more of Christian than I was. I do not know what he believes about Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus’ victory over sin, but I do know that he follows Christian practices better than I do. He loves the outcast, gives away all that he owns, has faith that God will provide for him, and cares for nature and the environment. He realizes that the most important thing is that he loves others and gives them what he has been blessed with. After all, everything in life is a gift. We do not own any of the things that we have. Having this perspective makes it easier to give to others.

While Tyler is not a Christian, and he believes in a universal spirit rather than God, he does revere the teachings of Jesus and others in the Bible. He explained that he believes the book of Job teaches us that all in life is a gift. Our belongings do not determine our worth, and the stuff that we acquire is not representative of what we have earned. Job was a righteous man that had an abundance of wealth, then it was all taken away, and he was a righteous man with next to nothing. With the snap of a finger, what he had was taken away. As we read this story, we should realize that our wealth is fleeting too, and should be used for good use.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Matthew 6:19-21]

Tyler also said that as long as he kept his heart open and loved these kids, he was provided for.* He retold stories of how people approached when they heard of what he was doing and handed him cash to help buy more food. He then told us about how he didn’t think he was going to be able to afford to come to the Rainbow Gathering because he lacked the gear needed. But, then he was given a tent to use for free. His roommate ordered a hiking pack off of Amazon, but there was some confusion on Amazon’s part, so they ended up sending his roommate a second pack, believing that the first had been lost. That extra pack ended up being the last thing Tyler needed to be able to head to the Rainbow Gathering. While some may interpret these events as mere coincidences, Tyler realized that these instances were signs of him being cared for. These were loving acts of a gracious God, a universal soul. Tyler also believed that he would be cared for as he traveled home just as Jesus was when he traveled throughout ancient Israel. He took to heart the words in Matthew.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [Matthew 6:25-31]

Tyler’s only criticism of Christians is that we too often make excuses for our bad choices. We often say that the devil influenced us as a cop-out to confessing our guilt and accepting the fact that we have the ability to choose. He mentioned that we all have a god inside us (the Holy Spirit) and we have the ability to listen to the Spirit or to ignore it. I agree.

I think that all Christians have something to learn from Tyler and “hippies” like him. Didn’t Jesus teach us to love others as our brothers, to love those that are different than us, to welcome the needy into our homes and to be stewards of creation?

* Eventually, Tyler began to see his charity as a chore though. Once that happened, he began to harbor resentment in his heart while among those he was helping. Then, a lot of the folks in his house began to drink, and things went downhill. Unfortunately, the group ended up getting evicted for their noise level and the presence of dogs at the house, which the travelling kids had brought with them. While the end was not ideal, it was definitely a learning experience for Tyler about the harms of alcohol as well as a cold heart.

Faces of the Colorado Trail

I have been dreaming of hiking the Colorado Trail (a 486-mile trail through the mountains connecting Denver and Durango) for a while now. I did not build time into my summer to hike the whole thing, which takes about a month, but I had no plans for last week, so I set out to hike as much as I could in six days. My purpose was twofold. First, to see beautiful scenery. Second, to seek transformation, to exit the experience with something I didn't have before. This kind of takeaway is not something that can be forced though. These moments usually only come when the journey is embraced as an end in itself and each moment is taken in stride.

The journey is not as glorious as we make it out to be afterwards through our poetry, pictures, and self-glorifying Facebook pictures (of which I am guilty). Each day was filled with long boring miles that left my feet hurting. It was hard not to wander why I was out there. It didn't seem like any momentous transformation was going to occur. But, I forced myself to embrace the journey as a valid goal in itself. In hindsight, I can see how the experience was valuable.

Pine trees were dense among much of the first hundred miles of the trail

As, I sat in my sleeping bag the last night on the trail, I wrote...

This trip went by pretty fast. It seems like this trip was short when compared to the trip length of most of the other hikers I met. (There were dozens of people hiking all 486 miles of the Colorado Trail, as well as a number of people hiking the Continental Divide Trail, which is over 2,000 miles long.) In reality though, this is the longest hike that I have ever done. I am ready to get back to Denver, but at the same time, I am going to miss the trail. It wasn’t the scenery so much that was captivating. It certainly was beautiful, (I am in Colorado for crying out loud!) but most of what I saw cat cannot be compared to the views of seen from the top of 14ers. When it comes down to it, I am going to miss the people the most. The folks out on the trail are so real, genuine, friendly and supportive. Everyone is kind to one another and all respect the fact that everyone on the trail is in the midst of their own unique journey, whether it is physical or spiritual. There is no hierarchy out on the trail. Some are more experienced and faster hikers than others, but that does not make them any better than others. Instead, everyone shares a mutual respect and love for one another. People love to help one another when possible, share hiking advice and stories from past trips. I learned a lot on this trip and have been blessed to meet new people that I would now call friends. This trip has made me see the beauty of Coloradans and those that visit this state. I have enjoyed meeting people on the trail from all walks of life…

View of Valley from above Kenosha Pass

Here is a look at the people I met on the trail...

Doug – a native of Colorado Springs in his sixties, who has been dreaming of traveling the Colorado Trail for forty years. He just retired last month, and is now fulfilling his dream. He is enjoying the journey, and shooting to walk around ten miles every day.

Tim, Peter and Megan – a dad, his eighteen year old daughter, and sixteen year old son from Massachusetts are hiking the entire trail.

Sarah and Bethany – two women in their mid-twenties from Denver, who attended college together. Sarah is about to move to New York to attend graduate school at Columbia University in seismology; she is using this hike as her farewell to the state. Bethany just quit her job with Denver Public Schools in order to hit the trail; her future remains unwritten.

Bill and Kelly – a couple from Durango in their fifties that are hiking the trail with their dog.

Tyler and Nathan – two friends from Texas that are in their early twenties and are hiking the trail during their summer breaks (as well as enjoying easy access to marijuana while in the state).

Sam and Emily – a couple from boulder in their thirties that are hiking the trail

Joey – a twenty-something year old from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida that realized he didn’t want to be stuck in the city of his birth for the rest of his life, and thus left everything behind to fly to Denver in order to trek the CT. He is taking the journey easy, hiking about eight miles a day, and is hoping to adjust to the altitude soon (he has never been to Colorado before). He has no idea what he will do after he finishes the trail, but he thinks that he might move to California; his future is unwritten.

Clyde and Jimmy – a dad and his thirteen year old son from Boulder that just finished the CT, but were returning to complete a hundred mile section that they skipped due to too much snow earlier in the summer. Upon their return, they realized they were feeling too sick and crummy to continue the trail, but that didn’t keep them from being great campmates. They shared advice with me, as well as their trail food! I ended up acquiring from them three snicker bars, a bag of Brookstone Dark Chocolate, two tuna fish packets, two slices of pizza, and some fudge! They will return later this summer to finish up the trail.

Aspen Trees near Kenosha Pass

Fred and Steve – a gay couple from Denver that were hiking from Kenosha Pass to Breckenridge as a part of their goal to hike all of Colorado Trail one segment at a time.

Nancy and Madi – two women that work together in Denver and headed out on the trail for the 4^th of July weekend, hiking from Kenosha to Breck.

Tim – a forty-six year old from Arkansas, who has worked for various online businesses, but is currently unemployed and taking advantage of his passion for hiking while his wife is at home working. He is covering 17 or so miles a day, while pondering his entrepreneurial ideas and kindly welcoming everyone he meets.

John and Beth – a retired couple from Ohio that are hiking the CT together. John hiked the Appalachian Trail after retiring in 2011, and the two hiked the John Muir Trail in California together last summer.

Ethan – a twenty-one year old from Chicago that just graduated from college in Ohio, and is now searching for a career in outdoor recreation. He is blazing through the trail at a blistering 27 miles a day.

Jerry – a forty-something year old that grew up in Boulder, ran Cross Country for CU, and is now living in North Carolina because of his wife’s job. Jerry ran professionally after college, specializing in the marathon. He won the U.S. Marathon Championships one year, was one spot out of making it to the Olympics in the marathon, and represented team USA at the World Cross Country Championships. (I only know all of these facts because he looked him up later; he was very humble and nonchalant about his running past.) He is now a freelance writer and artist, as well as the father of an eleven year old. His work does not bring in much income, but is a great expression of a deep-thinking mind. Jerry grows restless when he feels like he isn’t being productive, thus he was driven out on to the trail. I think that he is seeking something beyond himself that is meaningful, as well as the fulfillment of his appetite for the Colorado outdoors. Who knows, maybe Jerry will produce some literature on his journey.

*All the names listed have been changed

My Vanity

Oh my soul
Oh my Jesus
Judas sold you for thirty
I'd have done it for less

Oh my soul
Oh my Savior
Peter denied you three times
I have denied you more

As the nails went in
I was standing right there
As you breathed your last
I shook my head and I cried-

Oh my God, what have we done
We've destroyed your son

Oh my God, what have we done?
We've destroyed your son

Perspective

I thank God for perspective.

The last 20 months has been full of struggles, particularly when it comes to running. I have dealt with a handful of sidelining injuries, and I have been unable to run well even when I have been healthy. I have become jealous watching those around me get faster, while I stay the same - even though I work as hard, if not harder. I have become frustrated with my body after consecutive injuries have kept from being able to run and train. Each time I return from injury, I feel like I am starting from scratch. I have become embarrassed by my running times because they have all been slower than my PRs from high school. I have become embarrassed by my performances as I have continued to lose to people that I feel like I should be able to beat, and that I have, in fact, beat in the past. I have felt dissonance about not being as fast as I think that I should be, and not continuing on the trajectory of improvement that I followed throughout high school. I miss the euphoric groove that only comes when you are fit and pushing your limits in a race. Most of all, I have been down on myself about the fact that that my main obstacle to success has been my own mental state. I have allowed mental weakness to keep me from performing to my potential. Numerous times, I have backed away at the onset of discomfort. Basically, I have found it easy to get down on myself because of my lack of performance.

This past weekend was one of those moments of struggle. It was my first race in a few months, and it sucked. My training has been minimal due to an irritating IT band issue, nevertheless, I watched myself back off in the middle of a race when discomfort came. I watched myself fade to the back of the race as I thought about how much I wanted the race to be over. My time and my effort sucked. It was a major blow to my confidence and my self-esteem. The fact that much of my daily schedule and my life revolve around running made me question whether my actions are meaningful or in vain. I even questioned my self-worth. As at other times in the past, my struggle made me wonder if my days of competitive running are over. It made me wonder if my fastest and strongest days are in the past. I considered giving up - even though I know I have so much more potential; so much unfinished business.

Thankfully though, God has helped me to have perspective in this time of struggle. I have been down about the fact that I have yet to feel strong in a race in 22 months. But, then I realized that there are many others that have gone much longer without seeing a glimpse of improvement. One of my role-models Ryan Hall, who is a professional marathon runner, has gone over two years without completing a marathon due to numerous injuries and training set backs. Despite many disappointments and harsh criticism, he has continued to pour time and effort into his craft because he knows that he has more potential and to give up now would be to sacrifice the gift that God has given him. Other runners have similar stories. Alan Webb, former American miler phenom who ran a 3:53 mile in high school and later set an American mile record in 3:46, has gone through nearly a decade of setbacks and disappointing performances. People have dished out harsh criticism to him; he has long been regarded as "washed-up." Nevertheless, he has continued to invest time and effort to run as well as he can - even though he is not able to return to his former glory days. The 2013 Boys NXN champion (i.e. the national high school cross country champion), Kai Wilmot, went through over a year of struggle with various injuries before finally breaking through with a victory over the top high school runners in the nation. Kai spent his junior year with an IT band issue during xc season, a hip injury during indoor track and stress fracture in his shin during outdoor track that he left him unable to compete well for the whole year. But, he didn't give up. His stubborn perseverance led him to win the biggest high school race in the nation. Finally, Lukas Verzbicas, a talented young runner and triathlete who had the potential to be the best in the world, went through one of the biggest setbacks of all. He was in a cycling accident in the summer of 2012 that left him with two broken vertebrae, a broken clavicle, an injured spine, multiple torn muscles, and a collapsed lung. Doctors did not think that he would ever be able to run again. Yet, he has continued to challenge the limits of his body despite now having screws and a metal plate inside of him as well as muscles that have had to regrow. He has persevered through countless rehab and therapy sessions, and has resumed training as a triathlete. His body does not have all the capabilities that it used to have, yet he has realized that there is more to running and doing triathlons than the outcome of races.

Realizing the setbacks of the above individuals and others, including many of my own friends, helps me to put my setbacks into perspective. Furthermore, the perseverance of individuals who have gone through far worse than me, yet continue to work toward their goals, inspires me to continue on. I do not know if I will ever be as fast as I would like, but I do know that God has gifted me with the ability to run, and I will continue to utilize this gift, striving to be the best I can be. At the end of the day, running is not everything, but working to fulfill my potential and to complete the task that God has given me in this universe is of the upmost importance. Thus, whether I am struggling to run fast, find purpose, complete a career goal, or fight death, I will know that all things can be put into perspective and will require embracing perseverance.


** This post shared my pride, ego, doubts and lack of faith. You may think that I am shallow after reading about my thoughts and emotions, which is fine. Please note that I am not endorsing my characteristics, thoughts or actions as being Christian. I realize that I am a sinful person that is in need of God's grace and redemption. I pray that he will help me to not be prideful, narcissistic, inconsiderate of others, or idolatrous. Nevertheless, I wish to be honest in sharing my struggles with the hope that you will connect to something I say.