I watched out the window of our kitchen as the big silver pickup pulled up to the back of the house with the horse trailer. I pulled on my boots and ran out the door, smelling the crisp autumn air in my nostrils. I climbed up in the truck.
"Hey grandpa!"
Dodger, my grandparents dog poked his head in between the door and my seat from the back. I ruffled his fur a little bit. "And hello there to you too Dodgey!"
I could feel the rumble of the diesel engine beneath my feet as we drove toward the canyon, and the wind between my fingers as I stuck my hand out the window. There wasn't much sound. Just a lot of silence as there usually was with my grandfather. A quiet man. But really all that needed to be said could be said simply by being there, going out for another ride.
We reached the trail head and parked the truck along the dirt road. We pulled the horse out from the trailer and I stood at watched as my grandpa saddled it. Taking note of every detail. I led the horse a little ways and then put my little square-toed boot up in the stirrup, grasped the saddle horn and pulled myself up. I let the leather from the reigns run through my fingers. Then I closed my eyes and felt the breeze tossle my hair a little bit. It was quiet, and cool and wonderful. The best sort of day for riding.
We started along the trail in quiet. For a while nothing was said, just a lot of looking at all the pretty leaves of red and gold. I smiled to myself and I heard an elk call in the distance. My grandpa stopped and in turn the horse and the dog stopped too. We all waited there... listening. Another elk called back to the first. We stood in silence for a brief moment. Taking time to hear the beautiful sounds until they eventually died off. We continued on our way.
Before long we reached the beaver ponds, they place we usually stopped to rest and eat. I hopped down from the horse and tied it to a near by tree. We sat down on a log and opened up the little zip lock baggies my grandma had packed for us. PB&J tonight!! Woo!! Grandpa and I made small talk in between bites of sandwich, and when I was through I took a little swig out of the water canteen.
It was really a perfect evening. The sun had begun to sink a little low over the trees, but there was still plenty of light. I knew we would get home before it got dark anyway - I mean we always made it out of the mountains by then anyway right?
I climbed back up onto the saddle and we continued back onto the trail. Turning and twisting through all sorts of trees. I admired all the lovely carvings in the aspens - "J+L", "Mary and Mike", "Ron 1997", etc. I thought about who those people might be. How long ago had it been since they had walked through these trees as I was now doing.
The sun was slowly getting lower and lower on the horizon, till I could no longer see it. There was still light, but we were beginning to descend back into the canyon into a thicket of trees and I knew if we didn't get back soon we'd be stuck in the deepest part of the forest in the darkness.
Granted my dear old grandfather had his six shooter in his holster, loaded. And also Dodger, who is the biggest bear of a dog I'd ever seen. But still, I was beginning to get a little nervous.
"How much longer till we're back to the truck?"
"Ohhh... I'd say only about two miles."
Two miles, I thought. Ok I can do that. It won't get dark by then. No way.
But with each passing tree the little light that still shown over the tops of the mountain peaks began to fade more and more.
About a mile later it was completely dark.
Each sound that came from the forest around me was either a murderer, a rapist, or a bear. I just knew it. Holy crap, I thought. Tonight I am going to die.
On top of the thicket of darkness I was currently surrounded by, we had just reached the steepest, rockiest part of the trail. So not only could I not see a dang thing, I could feel the horse struggling from beneath me to keep steady on the trail.
"Hey grandpa..." I squeeked, "How much longer till we're at the truck?"
I'm pretty sure he could sense the fear in my voice because at that he said.
"Hannah, you don't need to worry. Even though we can't see anything the horses can still see the trail in the dark. They will always lead you back home."
And sure enough that horse led me straight back to the truck.
Maybe I'm gettin' a little sappy here comparing this to the gospel and what not. But whenever I look back on that experience I always compare it to life.
Ya see, in life we are kind of in the darkness. Just like I was on that horse ride on that cool fall night. We can't see a darn thing. We don't know where we're going. But Christ is our light, and even though we can't see, he can. He knows the way home, and if we but only follow him, he will always get us safely back there. We just need to trust in him, trust him enough that he will get us through our darkest of times and take us back to safety. He will always lead us home.
Alma 26:15
"Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love...."
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