layovers can be cool, like on the way to minnesota we had a cool one, but this one going back sucks... we are both tired, hence frustrated, hence agitated, hence bored, hence blah, blah, blah...
here are some pics from the trip, sixteen in all... if you choose no photo, then in the meantime, a story...
so, after spending 5 days with shelly and doug, holly and i decided to give them a break from entertaining us and headed up along lake superior past duluth to grand marais on the coast there... we even touched into canada just for the heck of it...
so, we checked into our little lakeside motel just north of grand marais and decided to take a stab at the superior trail... this trail runs along (at least) the north shore of the lake and is one of the longest trails in the us apparently... so, we took a trailhead just out of our hotel and headed out towards the trail... it was to be a 3 mile or so trek, nothing too crazy...
its kinda nice going down trails like this... i mean this one had all the posted signs and stuff and the rabbit trails were usually guarded by a felled tree as to say, "dont go this way, follow the marked trail" and thats a good thing sometimes cause you can get way off course if your goal is to see the superior trail or whatever...
so the main trailhead is really well groomed and kept up... it runs along this river that has carved a small canyon... but after a while, holly was tired of the main trailhead cause it didnt seem like we were getting close enough to the water, like it was safely several yards in from the river... so, she hopped a log and began down a rabbit trail that led to the river... spectacular view, but i was frustrated... i just wanted to keep to the main trail and eventually make it to the superior trail and stuff... but she wanted this other trail that was not as well kept and i nearly tripped this one time... but then we arrived at its intersection with the river... wow, scary... we were like fifty plus feet up from the river, looking down the canyon walls...
so, i kinda saw the stubborn-ness of me not wanting to leave the path as a metaphor for how most christians (myself included) interact with their chosen 'path' of faith... they find a well marked trail (evangelical for me) and follow it, even clearing the way behind them for others, so people can take the same, incredible path i took... and it can be just like it was for me, but for them... and when we come upon those rabbit trails (ie. questions, different perspectives on 'essential' issues, paths that could lead to other paths of faith, etc.) we note that the way is kinda blocked, so you either hop over the wood or you do as most people do - as i wanted to do that day - and move along on the main trail... after all, to go down the other path is kinda dangerous and gets you 'off track' from the main path... so you can basically guarantee a person's spiritual journey if they'll just stay on track, you know?...
so, to further extend this metaphor and borrow a bit from mike's suggestions... what if the river is god or true experience of god or truth or whatever, our christian tradition may have this view from the top as it were, following the rim of the canyon... well, perhaps used to follow the rim, but the authorities thought itd be better to make a trail that is a little safer and further away from the river... perhaps there are other traditions that are trying to follow the river as well, but perhaps some stay in the basin of the river, perhaps some climb trees... who knows?...
ive got to get on my plane, but i tell you replications of inclusiveness are all around in nature... are there as many replications of exclusivity that are as compelling?...
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