A couple of days ago, I went on a hike. I love just about every aspect of hiking (nature, solitude, exercise, no-screen time, exploring, praying, reflecting, etc.)

I had planned this trip for about a week. Sunrise was at 7:53 AM and I planned to hit the trail soon after. I parked at the Auxier Ridge Trailhead around 8:30 AM, only saw about 4-5 vehicles, and realized that hardly anyone was on the trail. I checked my backpack one last time and took off into the woods.

My Garmin watch logged this information.

I enjoyed this trail from the start. I had never hiked Red River Gorge before so everything was new.

3/4 mile into the hike
The tops of the trees are visible at the edge of this cliff.
I would soon arrive at locations where the tops of the trees were far below the edge.

My phone has geotagging. That’s why I took the following picture. I wanted to mark the location where something special happened.

First the picture and then I will tell what happened here.

1.3 miles into the hike

As I continued deeper into the forest, I prayed and enjoyed time with Jesus. Except for seeing two other hikers in the first 1.3 miles, I was keenly aware I was alone. If I got injured or needed help, it would be a while before another hiker would come along.

Then I heard something unexpected.

In the distance, I could hear the voices of several young men. They were probably a football field or two away on a ridge, hidden from view by the thick forest. As I listened, they began singing the Doxology, ending with a resounding “Amen.”

I can only assume it was a church camping trip or a group of Christian college-aged men who had spent the night in the Gorge. While not all of them could carry a tune, their song echoed through the woods with remarkable power. I couldn’t help but smile. Looking toward the sky, I said, “Lord, no one is ever truly alone. You’ve placed Your people everywhere.”

That moment reminded me of two important truths.

First, we are never alone. God is always at work, and He has His people strategically placed exactly where He wants them, ready to encourage, help, and serve when He calls.

Second, I must never underestimate the impact of living out my faith publicly. If those young men had remained silent, I would never have known they were there, and I would have continued feeling alone in the wilderness. But because they were unashamed to sing boldly in praise to God, they encouraged a fellow believer they didn’t even know was listening. I can do that some thing for others.

The only thing that could make this more beautiful would be a sky full of cumulus clouds.
Going over the edge here would be a death sentence.
I imagine that in a week or two, the leaves will make this scene breathtaking.
A cool site. But I noticed some hikers who were trying to get on top of this natural bridge. It is no wonder that rescuers seem to travel to Red River Gorge multiple times a week. It’s dangerous and people are sometimes dumb.
My legs were like jelly when I got to this point. This was 5 miles into the hike with lots of elevation gains/losses.
The Auxier Ridge Loop Trail ends on this gravel road, 5.12 miles into the hike.
It’s about 1.25 miles back to the parking lot.

It’s two days after my hike and I’m still feeling drained. I need to get back into hiking regularly to build up my endurance because there are a whole lot of beautiful, interesting places to explore here in the Bluegrass State.