Ann and I were distant friends for quite a few years before we started dating. She helped me out at a music festival in Washington in 2006. I definitely liked her on that trip but didn’t admit it.
I decided to invite her on a climbing trip that I had been planning for over a year to the Cirque of the Towers in the remote Wind River Range of Wyoming. To my surprise she wanted to come. The Cirque of the Towers is the most beautiful place on earth. It is a high alpine basin at over 10,000 feet of elevation, surrounded by shear 2,000 feet granite walls and spires that climb out of white snow fields. The valley is full of moss, grass, and a zillion wild flowers. It was the perfect setting for the beginning of our story.
Four days into the trip we decided to climb a mountain that I have always dreamed of climbing: Wolf’s Head. This particular wall tops out on a fin that is only 2 feet wide but 2,000 feet shear on both sides. To make a long story short, I procrastinated on the climb, then went off route and ended up getting us and two other climbers stranded on the wall in the dark. We were unable to go up or down so we found an over sized crack to climb into to get out of the wind and spent the night.
Because it was so cold we decided not to let anyone sleep, because sleep makes your body temperature lower and sets you up for hypothermia. The four of us spent that night telling stories, jokes, and riddles. We sang camp songs and prayed to keep our spirits strong. We huddled together to stay warm. Looking back it seems like that night went by so fast. The sun came out and warmed us up for one of the best climbing days that year.
I was cold, exhausted, and frustrated and yet loving every minute of it. Ann had every right to be miserable but I could tell that she loved it too. This was our first epic adventure. It was that cold night that a spark lit a flame in my heart.
We summitted the wall and the rest was history.
Since then, Ann and I have been on a hundred adventures, both in and out of the country. Whether it’s scuba diving with sharks in the Bahamas, shredding powder in Vail, Colorado, climbing big walls in Mexico, or exploring rivers in caves in West Virginia, Ann and I love being on adventures together. From criss-crossing the country on our Live Offensively summer tour to diving out of perfectly good airplanes, the two of us have had our share of adventure and want to cultivate a life full of it.
Celtic Christians used to call God the Wild Goose because following Him meant embarking on a wild adventure. When God calls people in the Bible He never invites them into a place of safety. We love this about God and want to let Him write our story. We are aware that ahead of us are some hard roads and dangerous sections but want to be available for the adventures that God has to offer. It’s not just a cute line; Ann and I are truly on a Wild Love Story.
