The 10 Mile Hike #2 - The Sand Pit

Talk about getting a rock in your shoe. After surviving the Fire Tower, hikers travel on a short distance (although when you are a kid it is really long) to the Sand Pit, another dangerous endeavor.


Oh, the feel of adventure and danger, how intoxicating. Although I have seen a few Evil Knevals hauled off to the camp or hospital after doing flips from the top or getting a little too much speed on the way dawn, I have seen legions more filled with joy and excitement descending the Sand Pit. No where else in their lives were they able to adventure like this. The coddled suburbs or vast farmlands from where they came did not offer such an excitement.

The Sand Pit is entertainment unplugged. It is engagement with the earth far, far from the virtual world of Ipods, Playstations, and internet.

It is also the traditional half way point of the 10 mile hike. An important emotional shift happens after the brief rest, water break, and unloading of the shoes after the Sand Pit. A sense of "we're headed home" begins to invade the psyche. This is an important feeling for someone to have. It is similar to the feeling one gets when they contemplate their faith journey.

We're not home, but we're headed there - what a hopeful feeling. A few times here and there, we get a little glimpse of the elevated tree line that we know is the place where home is located. Then we wander back into the forest not seeing much but the next step immediately ahead, trusting that what we saw in the glimpse really exists.