Flight 93 Memorial Hike

At the lower memorial wall looking up
to the upper visitor center

Flight 93 Memorial Hike
Trailhead Elevation: 2,468 ft.
Distance: 0.96 mi.
Elevation Gain: 41 ft.

Elevation Descent: 175 ft.
Start Time: 2:00pm
End Time: 2:25pm


Trip Report:
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)"

Jesus spoke those words the night before He would hang on the cross and die for the sins of all mankind. He was describing His own work to come, without a doubt. He was describing the great form and example of love humanity has ever witnessed. But in His words we also get this hint that we are all able to walk, in some humble way, in his footsteps. We can't die innocently nor can we die to save all mankind. But we can show such a love that we are willing to sacrifice our lives for the sake of others. A greater love.

Refuge of the Weary

[Originally published in the Monroe News on March 11, 2022]

When you travel through the wilderness of the mountains in Europe, particularly in the French and Italian Alps, they have various refuges located in amazing places. These are essentially mountain huts that provide places of help and rescue for hikers. For someone in distress a refuge can be lifesaving. It is a place of safety. It is a place of protection from the elements or the wild. Under the shelter of a refuge one is in good hands and can find rest.

In February 2014 my father, my good friend Matt and myself stayed in a refuge for two nights. This refuge wasn’t in the alps of Europe. It was actually here stateside on the slopes of one of the most well known mountains in our nation. On the eastern slopes of Pikes Peak in Colorado is a refuge known as Barr Camp. It is only accessible to the public via a long hike. We stayed there in the dead of winter. It wasn’t an emergency stop or anything like that. Rather it was a warm bed, a hot meal, and a refuge for our weary legs during our adventures on the mountain. We summited the mountain after a grueling 13 mile climb in deep snow and steep mountain slopes. Weariness was before us and the refuge of the camp was just what the doctor ordered when night drew near.