Our family logged quite a few miles on foot during the last week and a half. We had visitors in town and took the opportunity to get outside and go exploring. Our wanderings took us from the mountains to the prairies and various places in between.
We had been doing 2-4 miles at a time, but (unintentionally) saved our longest hike for the last day of the visit. By the time we hit the trail yesterday we had already logged more than 15 miles, and we added 5 more by the end of the day. The kids did great overall, but we definitely noticed signs of tiredness from our youngest in particular. By the time we got back to the trailhead in the afternoon, she had tripped, stumbled, and fallen down countless times, and needed to be carried for some of the journey to give her tired legs a break.
Today we're getting back into our usual routine, but I've still got hiking on the brain. In between the everyday stuff, I've been going through the many, many photos I took on our expeditions. This one has got to be one of my favorites. I love how the path winds through the grove of aspens. It was even more pretty in person.
Whether speaking of hiking, or of life in general, it's vital to keep watch over where your feet are headed. Our daughter's fatigue contributed to her stumbling as we got farther down the trail because she was less careful about where she was stepping than she had been at first. In our lives, sometimes we get tired, too. Or we just let down our guard, or become complacent. Sometimes we even intentionally overlook the hazards in our path - our misguided thinking convincing us that it will still be okay if we head that way. I love how this verse from Proverbs reminds us to choose our path and place our steps with care; and I'm grateful for the promise of God's redeeming grace for the times when we do stumble and fall. 
