Lost with Tim Hawkins, John Branyan, David Pendleton, and Daren Streblow

Last week I posted the first of the lessons I learned from getting Lost in the mountains with Tim Hawkins, John Branyan, David Pendleton, and Daren Streblow. If you missed it you can read it here.

What follows is the second installment of that adventure complete with maps, some great pictures and another life/life saving lesson.

As you can see by the map, the route we ended up taking (red line) is very different than the route we planned (green line).

In my last post, I stated that I believed my pride helped lead to this unplanned wilderness trek of almost 13 miles.

Looking back, it seems impossible to make this kind of mistake.

Point 1 on the map above is where we took this group picture below that was featured in last week’s post.

The route in the upper left corner of the picture is the same as on the Google Earth picture.

Notice the mountain in the top left part of the picture. That is the mountain we would eventually decide to circle. In this picture, I drew a green line representing the route we should have taken. That line matches the route on Google maps.

Originally the plan was to hike from point 2 to point 3 (Google map) and then retrace our steps.  Check out the video below taken about halfway to point 3.

Oxygen deprivation + five comedy brains makes for a fun time. I was not the only one experiencing oxygen deprivation.

If we had followed our new plan, the journey from point 3 back over the hill to point 2 would involve a little climbing and no trail. But it would be the shortest route back and best of all it would be an adventure.

Looks like they are praying for deliverance.  Point 3 on the map.

After a short rest at point 3 we made the fateful decision to climb to the saddle of the mountain range (point 4) and return to our vehicles (point 2) It was a good idea, but blind confidence and pride led me to ignore many warning signs that we were going the wrong direction.

As we neared the saddle of the mountain we trudged through a smaller saddle that I mistook for the main crossing of the mountain. The signs were numerous that it wasn’t…

• From point 4 at the top I should have been able to see all of Tin Cup Pass road, and even the place where we had taken the group picture.  You can see that road in the video.
• From the saddle, (point 4) the direction back to our vehicles was North. But as we slogged into Never Never Land we were heading directly South.
• Although the valleys on both sides of the mountain look alike, everything about the valley we were headed to was backwards.
  • The valley should have sloped downward to the right. It was sloping to the left.
  • The sun should have been setting to our left. It was beginning to set to our right.

I was distracted by the beauty of the mountains and the hilarious banter of my weird friends, but that’s no excuse for pressing on despite the warning signs that something wasn’t right.  At point 5 I should have turned around. We had even discussed it.

At this point (5) I still had four friends who trusted me. But by the time we reached point 6 I realized that we were lost.

This is the actual moment of decision (point 4 on Google map). I am looking the direction we should have gone. We would end up at the base of the mountains you see in the farthest distance! 

So what did I learn that day about hiking and living daily life…?

Lesson #2  Don’t ignore warning signs.

Confidence is good, but blind confidence can lead to disaster.

Am I the only one that has ignored warning signs in real life?

Am I the only one that has plowed past red flags and warnings only to end up in a mess?

Watch for the guideposts and warning signs God will provide you every day. I promise He WILL direct your path.

Next week the story concludes with swamps, moose, a remote cabin, a lost sole, and our rescue.

I will tell you of one good decision that led us home and how this adventure solidified our faith and bonded our friendship.

I value your comments. [reminder]