Go Forth and Explore
How a moment in the woods gave me a whole new perspective
3 min read
I grew up in southern New Mexico, where mountains were just… part of the backdrop. Sure, they looked nice in the winter, but mostly, they faded into the scenery. They were always there, steady and silent.
It wasn’t until we moved to Dallas a couple of years ago that I realized how much I miss them—not just the mountains themselves, but the wild spaces. Land that hasn’t been paved over or propped up with signage. Land that still feels like God made it yesterday.
So when my wife and I booked a trip to Colorado to visit her parents, I was more than a little excited. They live in a quiet town called Frederick, where Main Street is short enough to walk top to bottom in a few minutes.
On this trip, we planned a day hike at Horsetooth Mountain Park near Fort Collins. The drive up was calm and slow, with Christmas music playing quietly through the speakers. Neither of us had been to that part of Colorado, and as the road climbed higher, the sense of anticipation grew.
We pulled into the park, bundled up, and started hiking toward Horsetooth Falls. It was gray and windy, but beautiful. For most of the trail, it was just the two of us—no phones, no noise—just miles of wilderness and stillness.
“These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man’s weak praise should be given God’s attention.”
― Donald Miller
Even now, weeks later, I can’t quite explain why that day hit different. Maybe it was the quiet. Maybe it was the view. Or maybe it was standing in a place that reminded me how big the world really is—and how small I tend to live.
There’s a whole world out there, waiting to be seen. Oceans, deserts, forests, streams. Places God made for us to explore, breathe, and remember what it means to feel fully alive.
So if you’ve been staring at a screen too long, here’s your nudge: go outside. Go somewhere new. Go get lost in something beautiful.
There’s more to life than tweets. Don’t miss it.