End of June 1998

e see a bear by the Chinese Wall.
. . .go figure!

he Chinese Wall in Montana that is, lest you think we blew halfway across the world quite quickly!

e were heading into the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana in hopes of meeting our friends, Dan and Sara Rufner. Just two weeks prior they had started an epic journey to hike the Continental Divide Trail from Waterton-Glacier National Park to the Mexico border. It had taken us awhile to get on the trail and our hike was already shortened on the front end by a few days. We were excited to be out in this great creation with which we have been blessed.

s we begin our year-long honeymoon, we've already had other opportunities to see the beauty of nature. After moving all of our worldly belongings to storage, (a good exercise for the first year of marriage), we exhaustedly headed out of town to take advantage of a stay at a bed and breakfast in Leavenworth, WA. After the stress of moving, a day and night in pampered conditions were much appreciated. Thanks to the old Bellingham roomies and wives for affording us such a nice evening! We could see why you like it there.

rom Leavenworth, we rock climbed a day and then explored some of the Alpine Lakes area around the Enchantments. Beautiful days of playing in the sun and water, hiking around and exploring the hills and valleys of Snow Lakes. We watched the pleasant weather melt the snow and ice covering the land and water around us. Gentle reminders of summer bloomed on the trails in the forms of Glacier Lilies, wild Delphinium, and daisies.

e headed north from there for our first official international travel on this journey, Canada! Having met at Beyond Malibu, a Young Life hiking camp in the coastal mountain range of British Columbia, it seemed fitting to once again visit this special place as a married couple.

eyond is nestled into a small bay in the Princess Louisa Inlet. A remote place with simple living conditions, it is not inhabited except for the summer camping season. We traveled up to Beyond by boat with this year’s staff to "move in" for the summer. In such a beautiful place, all the hard work of getting camp up and running is tempered by the majesty of the peaks and cliffs that surround this cozy little inlet. Excited for the current staff, we left remembering how meaningful all of our times have been up there.