I ran across this picture from 2004 this week. Chris and I took a couple that was in town from Australia out to Rumbling Bald to boulder for the day. This picture was taken over Thanksgiving weekend, and this poor couple got a crash course in Southern food…more on that later.

By this time, Maddie had been drug around 29 states in that backpack. Many naps were taken as she bounced down the trails. She liked the outdoors from the beginning, but that isn’t saying much, she really didn’t have a choice. Three-week vacations over the summer were mandatory. From hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine to flat water paddling in the keys of Florida, from the elevated walkways in Yellowstone National Park to climbing in the slot canyons of Utah, she adapted quickly to the extremes.

I would like to share about the Australian couple. Those of you from the Greenville/Spartanburg area should enjoy this. These sweet people worked for the same company that my mom worked for, and they had asked if we could take them climbing while they were in the States. Our schedules didn’t work out for a larger trip, but we made an afternoon work for a quick bouldering trip to the Chimney Rock, NC area. The hike is pretty short, and the boulders are plentiful. They had a great time thrashing their hands on the North Carolina granite before we headed to supper in Spartanburg.

Someone mentioning the Beacon restaurant either puts a smile on your face or strikes fear in your heart/belly. I haven’t spoken with this couple since that day, but I guarantee you that for them, it is the latter. They went all in and ordered a Bacon Chili-cheese Burger Aplenty. I wish I could type that with JC’s accent and tone. They loved the food until about fifteen minutes into the thirty-minute ride home. Let’s just say that we had to pull over on the side of HWY 29.

As I looked at this picture, I found myself somewhat emotional. This little girl isn’t so little anymore. Twenty-one years old, finishing up college in December, and desires to move out west are the realities that tested my tear ducts. Where does the time go?

Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

Nanny and PaPa used to say that the older you get, the faster time goes. I know this isn’t true, but it sure seems like it is. I am trying to value the moments that I am blessed to have, and I hope to encourage you to do the same. Avoid distractions, and recognize the blessings from the Lord.

Because He Calls, Old Climbing Dad