Today I’m going to share with you one of the funniest things that happened while I was on the trail.  It was a bit scary at the time but funny to look back on…

Me, Zoom and Loren in the Grayson Highlands on April 21.

On April 21 I was hiking in the Grayson Highlands of Virginia.  I was hiking with Loren and Zoom, two guys I really enjoyed hiking with.  We had coordinated a 20 mile hike for the day, but during the day we found a flyer that said the Troutdale Baptist Church invited hikers to come shower and stay in their annex.  On a rainy, cold day a warm dry place to stay sounded great!  And it had been close to a week since I had showered.

It turned out to be a 21+ mile day followed by a quick hitch down into Troutdale.  I met Loren outside the church annex and he said, “This is heaven.”  After grabbing a quick shower and putting on my “town clothes” we went to explore town.  It pretty much consisted of the Baptist church, a bank, PO and the Troutdale Trading Post where we found a diner.

The Thomas Knob Shelter.

We had a great meal!  In my journal I often chronicled meals that I ate in town.  Good food was a HUGE deal after eating meals from my backpack.  That evening I ate salad, chicken fried steak, curly fries, 3-bean salad, mashed potatoes and washed it all down with root beer.  After I finished all that food I was sitting back in my chair enjoying a roll when I started to feel funny.

The last thing I remember is pressure under my arms and the next thing I remember is waking up laid out on the table behind us.  Zoom was a nurse anesthetist and said he knew exactly what was going to happen as my face and lips turned pale white.  He had grabbed my wrist and felt as my pulse bottomed out momentarily.  As I came to, Loren and Zoom were holding my legs up as I laid flat on my back on the table.

The people in the trading post didn’t even bat an eye.  The seasoned waitress calmly asked from behind the counter, “You boys need a hand?”  The other table of diners just kept an eye on us as they ate their meal.  As I started coming back to, this really attractive girl my age walked in and just glanced at us out of the corner of her eye.  I guess hairy hikers getting tossed up on tables is a common occurrence in Troutdale.

The Troutdale Baptist Church Hostel.

They sat me back down in my chair and Zoom asked a bunch of questions.  We decided I had “run dry.”  I was dehydrated since I had only drank one 32oz Nalgene bottle of water all day.  It was a cold, rainy day and I had been pushing hard to get into town…apparently too hard.  A piece of pecan pie, a few bottles of water and a Gatorade helped make everything better.

There is a lesson in there for me.  I am the type of person who tends to get so fixated on my goal that I sometimes forget to take care of myself or the people around me.  I’ve deprived myself of sleep, pumped myself full of sugar and caffeine to compensate, then grab fast food because I don’t have time to eat right.  Other times I’m gone from home too long and don’t spend the time with my wife and children like I should.  And still other times I neglect my personal study of the scriptures and prayer.  “Running dry” is something I must always be careful to avoid.

I’m guessing this isn’t a problem that is unique to me.  We could all stand to slow down a bit.  Instead of setting us free, technology can keep us chained to work and distracted almost all day long.  We can forget to do the things that refresh our heart, mind and body.  You may not physically pass out, but the consequences of “running dry” in life could be much more serious.

Here’s to slowing down a bit…  Maybe you can leave the office a bit early today.  Or spend a little extra time with your spouse.  Perhaps it is a pretty day where you live and you can go outside and go for a walk or play with the kids.  Maybe you’ll just turn on some Jack Johnson and listen to his mellow songs about slowing down and enjoying life.  Whatever helps you avoid “running dry.”

Don’t forget about the giveaway I’m running on the site this week.  You can sign up here to win a brand new Eureka AirSpeed One or a $50 Amazon gift card if you prefer.  Contest ends tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:59pm CST.  I hope you’ve entered.  I’ve had a ton of fun watching all the entries come in.  And as always, you’re doing me a big favor by sharing this post via email, Facebook or Twitter.  Come back next Wednesday for the next installment of “Lessons From the Trail.”  Thanks and God bless you!