We recently celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, which is the remembrance of the day that God gave the Israelites the Torah on Mount Sinai. It is also the day on which the Holy Spirit came to the disciples, just as Yeshua told them it would.
To mark the occasion, we really wanted to climb to the top of a mountain, much like Moses did to get the Torah from God. We went up to Boone and climbed a relatively new trail called Elk Knob. It was recommended to us by some dear friends who moved there from Greensboro a couple years ago. They said it was a great hike for kids; challenging, but not too difficult. They also said it was a great example of how the forest changes as you gain altitude.
They were right. It was a beautiful hike. At the bottom of the well-groomed trail, the maples were tall and stately.
Halfway up, there was an overlook that was a good place to rest for a minute or two.
As we got higher, the maples gave way to thin beeches.
Even higher, the trees shortened and became more gnarly.
There were some pretty wildflowers along the way.
By the time we reached the top, the trees gave way to dense brush.
We sat and had lunch at the top.
I read to the kids the traditional readings about the giving of the Torah and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then I blew the shofar for all to hear, not that there was anyone else around. Amazingly, we passed about 30 people on the way up that were on their way down., but when we got to the top, there was no one there.
We spent about an hour at the top without seeing another person. It was really surprising.
On the way down, we stopped at a chair made of stones and the kids wanted to take a picture.
Of course, they wanted a silly-face one, too.
The trip down tuckered out the littles. Emma woke up just before the bottom and said, "I not sleeping!"
There was one injury right before we got back to the car, but a band-aid took care of the problem. :)
All-in-all, the kids did great. There was a little moaning and groaning, both on the way up and on the way down, mostly from Ezra, but ultimately, they all did the hike on their own and finished strong. It was a wonderful day of remembering God's goodness and grace in giving us not only His Law, but the One who helps us keep it.
