Friends Wilderness Center (9/26/08)

While perusing one of my hiking books, I came across an interesting entry on the very last page - one I had overlooked in the past. It described a place called The Friends Wilderness Center located on a larger piece of land called the Rolling Ridge Foundation Preserve. Here's a sample of what I read:

"The non-profit Rolling Ridge Foundation owns about 1400 acres of land on the heavily hard-wooded slopes of the Blue Ridge just east of the Shenandoah River. Rich in flora and fauna, the preserve is the legacy of Henry and Mary Cushing Niles, a Quaker couple who established the Foundation in 1974 to preserve the land in perpetuity, as well as to provide for the use of the property 'to minister to the needs of people for the strengthening of spirit, mind and body.'"

Needless to say, I was intrigued. So I headed out Route 7 west at 6 am Friday morning, past Leesburg, on to Route 9, past the turn for Harpers Ferry and then to the outskirts of Charles Town, WV. After a good bit of driving on a gravel road, I arrived at Niles Cabin (named for the Quaker couple who bestowed the land), where I met Sheila Bach, the Resident manager of the Friends Wilderness Area. The hiking book had told me to email her before arriving on the property to "get permission" to hike on the land. This, of course, had intrigued me even more! Sheila had replied instantly (at 10 pm) and was there bright and early to greet me. While chatting for a few minutes, I learned that she had lived in this little cabin (one level, 3 bedrooms, bath, kitchen & sitting room - very simply, but nicely furnished) for 9 years, hosting visitors on retreat and cooking 2 meals a day for them. When I asked how she liked it, she said she had loved every minute! Sheila was probably in her late 60's and could certainly have hiked me under the table!

View from inside Niles Cabin

After giving me some very helpful directions and telling me to follow the mauve blazes (mauve???) down to the main trail, I said good-bye to Sheila, promising to check back in before I left, and headed out for a 5-6 mile hike. It was another unseasonably warm day. This first part of the trail - the mauve trail - was quite difficult to follow as my new friend had told me. (I mean, really....mauve??) After several wrong turns, I eventually found the main trail that led down to the Shenandoah. And, oh, was I rewarded for my efforts! I located a quiet, beautiful spot right on the river bank and enjoyed a wonderful time of prayer and contemplation.

I've recently been seeking to find God in some new and deeper ways. One of these ways is to spend time just being quiet with Him. Rather than coming to him with an agenda, or a list of study questions, or a prayer list, I come to Him just to BE with Him. Kind of like a kid sitting in her dad's lap, just enjoying his goodness and love. Now, I'm still in the very early stages of this new kind of time with the Lord, but this lovely, quiet morning of solitude was a good start.

I hope to return to this Preserve and explore some of the other things they have there - a labyrinth you can walk, a prayer hut, several other trails, and even a camping area. Thanks, Quakers, for a great adventure!

P.S. I have NO idea why the size of the font gets so small. I guess I have much to learn about this blogging thing! :)