Miles away from cell service, internet, and any type of artificial anything, the untamed wilderness of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains felt like home.

In the warmer months US14 is the only highway weaving through the northern end of the Bighorn National Forest, connecting Sheridan with Greybull and Lovell on the western side. But in the winter, buried under stories of impassible snow, the highest stretch of the pass is only open to snowmobile traffic. Lane had been wanting to bring me here for years, and after losing Zoe just a couple months prior it was the perfect time to get away.

Being my first time riding in the mountains, Lane and I rode together. I had naively assumed that much of our ride would be weaving along 14 and the trails stemming from it, but after the first few miles our leader turned, pointed, and proceeded to drive up what looked to be nature's version of a skyscraper.

I tapped Lane and asked him where we were going. His response: "Wherever he goes. Hold on. You'll see."

I held on for dear life as we sped up the steep incline, dancing through trees and fighting our way higher and higher. It didn't take long for several of our group to find themselves stuck in the deep powder resting between the pines. After lots of laughter, hard work, and shoveling, we eventually made it to our destination. We came to rest in the most beautiful untouched open meadow with a view that rolled on for miles. Based on our efforts to get there over the last hour, I'd say the list of humans to have visited this spot, especially during winter, is very short.

Our leader's experience allowed him to see those brutally imposing formations as a welcoming, familiar pattern of peaks and valleys. By trusting his guidance, we spent days adventurously exploring the craggy landscape, landing in places with views that took our breath away almost as much as the altitude did.

Over the past 6 years, we've navigated our own version of mountains and I've spent all my energy surviving. Surviving grieving 4 of our 5 children. Surviving watching cancer take my mother. Surviving pregnancy and parenting after loss. Surviving being statistical anomalies. Surviving working through what it looks like to carry trauma.

Even so, an unchanging thread of truth remains anchored in my soul: I trust God.

In one of the hardest seasons God led me to the mountains, quieted the world and took my breath away.

Standing on a rocky outcrop, held in the maternal embrace of creation, the Holy Spirit revived my soul with words as pure as the crisp mountain air, “You were made for this."

Every moment of our lives has been created and allowed with purpose; not a single second is wasted.

Our experiences equip us to guide those come after us and confidently say, "Hold on.", to share the load when fighting through the roughest parts of the valley, and to know what meadows are waiting just beyond the next rise.

Trust the leader. You were made for this.

Our 2023 Team Norah fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House Family Walk is officially here! There are so many ways to come alongside us as we raise money for this incredible organization.

You can join our team and walk with us in person Saturday August 19th in Minneapolis, buy one of our Team Norah t-shirts, or donate directly to RMH as part of Team Norah. New this year, if you register as a Team Norah member, you can utilize the Good Move app which connects to your activity tracker to help raise money for RMH and earn prizes for you and our team from wherever you are!

On the behalf of families like ours, thank you for supporting the Ronald McDonald House.