Green!

I knew it was getting down to the wire with a little over a week left before my ladies arrived and the bulk of my work here begins. I was in need of some green. Growing up in central Illinios you take for granted God's greenness being all around. In the last 3 years as I have moved from big city to big city and then now to a floating metal box off the coast of another big dusty city. One of the things I notice I miss the most is the green and the open space.

So I took this weekend grabbed a few friends in need of green themselves and headed out to the hills in Ghana just across the boarder from Togo and a few hours north. The big plan for the weekend was a hike up to the waterfalls and that was about it. We headed over Friday after work and then got up early Saturday morning to start our hike.

Now there are 3 options when visiting the falls... you can A: take a 45 minute leasurely stroll on a flat path in to the lower fall, B: head into the lower fall and then take an intense very steep hike that takes about 1 hr up to the upper falls, or C: take the "loop" a 6-7 hour hike that takes you up and around, above the upper falls then to the pool at the base of the upper falls, then down again to the pool at the base of the lower falls. You guessed it we were feeling adventurous and chose option C. In the picture above you can see the waterfall near the center. We hiked up and around to the right of the falls and then back down.

We started about 8 and made it to the upper falls pool by 1130. Ate lunch swam for about an hour and then down to the lower falls pool by 3. It was intense and exhausting but totally worth it. The views were breath taking. There is something about the mountains and getting out into God's creation that is good for the soul.

We got back to the ship Sunday evening and all day Monday I was reminded that I live on a ship full of stairs...ouch. It was a great weekend away. The craziness is starting with my ladies arriving this weekend but it was a good chance to reset. Here are a few of the pics but to check them all out here is a link to my facebook album.