LED into God’s Imagination

Contributed by Shannan Anderson

I’m an adventure seeker. I rarely spend time at home and am always looking for the next activity to consume my time.

This summer, I embarked on a road trip to visit the national parks of Utah, and I drug my best friend along for the ride. With temperatures hitting the low 100s every day, we had to plan our days carefully to avoid being stuck in the middle of a trail in the heat of the afternoon.

We woke up early in the morning and experienced the sunrise across the desert landscape of Utah. Our first stop was Arches National Park. We hiked to the Delicate Arch, the arch famous for adorning the Utah license plate, and then completed the hike through Devil’s Garden. We saw a lot of arches and still sat in awe at each new one we experienced.After spending a few days exploring the Arches, we swept through Canyonlands and Capitol Reef followed by a day trip through Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon was one of the more visually interesting stops we made, and I wish we had allotted more time to explore the hoodoos. With each new park, I was already making a list of things I wanted to do the next time I was able to visit. God’s country is never ending, and his glories are never ceasing. The national parks were a great way for me to be reminded of His glory.

The last leg of our Utah journey was spent in Zion National Park. I hiked to Angel’s Landing, gripping chain supports for the last mile of the journey with cliff faces on either side. It was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done. We also walked through the Virgin River on the narrows trail and experienced the canyon from the inside. Every single turn along the trail was breathtaking – it was a great way to relax and experience the joys of the outdoors.

Our final destination was the Grand Canyon. I have to admit that after seeing all that Utah had to offer, the Grand Canyon was a bit underwhelming for me. Sure, it’s huge and it’s impressive, and it’s amazing … but it’s not as visually interesting.

The national parks were a great way for me to be reminded of His glory…

I also learned that I love to experience things from the inside. I love to be in them, part of them and feel them. I can’t wait to experience the Grand Canyon from the base – with a Colorado River rafting tour – I think then I would truly be able to say I was impressed with the canyon itself.

LED into God’s Imagination

But that’s for another trip. We did spend our last night at the canyon watching the sunset. And I don’t think it matters where you are, God paints an amazing canvas with the colors and the beauty of the landscape with each sunset and each sunrise.