"No one knows I'm out here" I thought. "No one will know to come searching for me. It could be days before anyone wanders out this way." I was alone and lost in the unfamiliar wilderness. Earlier that morning I had prayed that I would learn from my solitary road trip. As soon as those words came out, I realized that it was a mistake to ask for that, so I quickly added "but keep me safe." But it was too late, the words had already been spoken and I felt that there would be some kind of predicament ahead. So there I was, in Arches National Park. It had been a wonderful drive with beautiful scenery. I chose to hike Devil's Garden Primitive Loop because it was a longer hike which meant less tourists, more solitude. Plus, longer hikes usually have the best scenery. This was definitely the case with Devil's Garden. I felt like a giddy school girl, skipping down the trail and every time I turned a corner I would clap my hands in joy to see as I witnessed a new landscape as amazing as the last. I was in my element hiking through the sand and climbing over the sandstone rocks. Half way through the hike I came to Double O' Arch where I saw a sign with arrows indicating the direction to the main trail. It seemed to be directing hikers through the Double O Arch to the other side. After taking a short side trail to see the Dark Angel, I headed back and through Double O Arch. I'm still not exactly sure where I went wrong because I was following a beaten path which led me to a canyon where I had to down climb. At one point in the down climb, it was necessary to straddle a branch and climb down. This seemed a little odd for me. I'm not unfamiliar with this type of canyoneering, but it seemed out of place for this hike. As I figured out a way to get down, the thought crossed my mind "What if I need to come back up, will I be able to do it?" But I had followed a trail here so this had to be the right way. I continued down and out of the canyon and followed the tracks for aways, but then I noticed the tracks growing sparser and sparser until the only tracks I could see seemed to be rabbit tracks. Out in the wilderness, I generally have some sense of direction and know which way to go, so I had hiked in the direction where I felt the hike would lead me. This led me to some ledges which gave me a better view of the area. I searched for any signs of trails or the parking lot or any kind of marker that I could make my way towards and although I could see aways out, I found no help in the landscape. I tried to suck the last of my water out of my camelback and felt the dryness in my throat. The thunder in the distance only added to the drama. Part of me was sure that if I kept going in the direction I was headed, I would find a trail, but there was another feeling telling me maybe I needed to go back to the log and climb back up, retrace my steps and find my way. Going back didn't sound very adventurous and would take time, I was aways from the canyon, but I knew I was lost so I said a quick prayer asking Heavenly Father which way I should go and felt that I should go back. So I swallowed some pride and headed back. Along the way I noticed a crudely constructed cairn (a pile of rocks that marks the way for hikers). "Perfect!" I thought feeling relieved, "I don't have to go all the way back up to the log, I must have gotten off track somewhere around here." I hiked to the cairn, found the footprints going past it and followed them for a little ways in a slightly different direction. I figured this was the main path, that I really didn't need to go back all the way to the branch in the canyon, but I had found the trail I needed. It wasn't too long, however, before these tracks began to thin out and I was again without a trail. I retraced my steps, made it back to a previous trail and tried again. This happened a few times with no luck and I remember praying for a miracle. I knew I couldn't do this on my own. I wanted to hear voices or see something that would direct me in the right way, because my attempts weren't working. It started to sprinkle and this made me a little nervous. I knew there was more slick rock to climb over and wet slick rock is even more slippery and harder to climb. I also had no idea what time it was, I hadn't even thought to bring a flashlight. What if I was still out here when it was dark? I finally decided those who had come down the canyon and made all of the tracks I had been following must have been out exploring on their own. I wasn't going to find the main trail out here and I had already wasted a lot of time being lost. I needed to get back to the sign by the Double O'Arch and make sure that it really told me to go through the arch. This meant I would have to find the canyon that I came down. I looked over in the direction of the canyon and saw a handful of possible canyons . I didn't know if I would be able to find the one I had come down. I again said a silent prayer. It took me looking up a few canyons before I recognized some familiar rocks that I had used to climb down. I climbed back up them and was able to make it back up the log with more ease than it had taken to get down. At the top of the canyon I followed the trail back, but it led me to a cliff with no way to get down. How had I made it to the canyon in the first place? I looked around for sign of the arch, but didn't see anything familiar, so I headed back on the trail looking for more trails to lead me in the right direction, but instead found another canyon which I started to go down, but soon was able to see a straight drop off. No way to get down that canyon either. A little frustrated, I headed back up to the trail. I was again stuck. I must have been very much in my own thoughts on the way here because nothing looked familiar. Then I noticed a small side trail leading up the side of a rock. It looked like a less used path, but I was desperate for anything. I took the path and climbed up the side of the rock which luckily had some good cracks where I could place my feet. Climbing up I thought, "I sure hope I don't have to climb back down this because I don't think I can." But I was already half way up and I didn't have any better ideas. At the top of the rock I searched for the arch, but still couldn't see it. As I was scanning the area, however, I noticed another cairn. I had already been deceived by a cairn on this hike, but this one looked more legit. Not just any hiker would have built this one. I looked for a way to get down to it and had to climb around on the top of the ridge for a little to find a safe way down. Once I arrived on the other side, I hiked to the cairn and noticed another cairn up ahead. I continued to follow cairn after cairn. I was fairly sure that this was the path. But it wasn't until I heard other hikers and saw another sign that my relief was complete. After all that wandering I had made it! And a wise Heavenly Father had answered my prayers of helping me learn something and keeping me safe. As I was wandering about being lost, I realized that there's a path for each of us in this life, a mission for all of us. Sometimes with so many decisions to make it's hard to know which one is right. I thought I was following good trails so many times when I was lost, but they never led me to where I needed to be. Had I just sat down and waited for a miracle, for someone to save me, I would have never found my way out. I had to be proactive...and persistent. This is the way that God leads us, as we go forth, trying to make the best decisions, He guides us. I could tell when I was lost again because there was no trail. The Lord has a way of letting us know when there's a better option and then we reevaluate, just like the many times I reevaluated my route and often we have to go back and remember what's most important in life, what our goals are. As we're journeying through we have to be searching for signs that we're on the right track. After a lot of searching I was finally able to find a cairn, a legit cairn. When we are on the right track, there's a peaceful feeling that accompanies it, that lets us know we're doing what the Lord wants us to be doing. There is a difference, however between the cairns on the trail and the one that other travelers had set up. We may feel happy or that we're having a good time, but that's not quite the joy that accompanies one who has found their path in life. You can imagine the joy I felt as I stepped off the trail into the parking lot. I took a big drink of water from the fountain and filled my camelback. It was so refreshing! I imagine that's how we'll feel when we return after successfully completing our sojourn on this earth.
