Following Water Up a Mountain to Mayflower Spring
What do you do when you want a neon arrow for directions and all you hear is to follow the water up the mountain? Can you find a way to all that is good? A story about Mayflower Spring in Arizona.
“Follow the water up the mountain,” my neighbor said when I asked him the location of Mayflower Spring, one of three natural springs near our cabin in northern Arizona. “The spring is one and a half miles from here,” he added, “down the Arizona Trail.”
Whenever our neighbor talks about the Arizona Trail, I pay attention. He just completed the 800-mile trek that traverses the entire north-to-south length of our state, from the border of Mexico to the border of Utah. He hiked the trail in segments, keeping careful record of his distances.
Mayflower Spring is mentioned on several Arizona Trail websites, with specific GPS coordinates and detailed instructions, since discovering natural water for people hiking 800 miles is something that should not be left to chance.
My neighbor was more casual. “Head north until you see water crossing the trail and then follow the water up the mountain to the spring. You can’t miss it.”
I hoped he was right. As someone who is directionally challenged and addicted to Google Maps, I would miss the voice on my phone telling me to turn left in 800 feet.
Feeling adventurous, my dog Mollie and I headed out down the trail lined with the first wildflowers of spring. Pink showy phlox. Franciscan bluebells. Delicate spring beauties. Two mule deer bounded out of the underbrush in front of us, disturbed by our presence. About the time I was beginning to wonder if we had taken a wrong turn, I noticed water in a normally dry wash in front of us. Could this be it?
“Follow the water up the mountain,” my neighbor had said.
The water was little more than a trickle as it dribbled its way over small stones and fallen pine needles. Last year’s oak leaves blocked the flow, detouring the water past a tiny woodland garden of pink mayflowers. We followed the tracks of elk, mule deer, and the footprints of other hikers on a path that wasn’t linear but curved to a destination we could not yet see.
Isn’t that the usual way of faith walks up mountains? Life is so rarely a straight line, but that doesn’t mean we walk alone. Jesus walks with us through all the curves and valleys. While I prefer a neon arrow pointing me to the obvious route, God’s Word has left us instructions for the path to all that is good.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ESV says “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?”
Eventually Mollie and I came to a crumbling concrete reservoir that had been cut into the hillside where an old, galvanized pipe flowed with the collected, snow-melt water, before splashing onto a large boulder.
While Mollie lapped a long drink from Mayflower Spring, I sat down to remove an irritating pebble from my hiking boots. I wanted to be ready for the next leg of our journey. It might not include a voice telling me when to turn left, but I knew there would be small signs to follow to the Source of all good things.
Writer’s note: Always purify water in the wilderness before drinking.
Mayflowers
A New Nature Book For Your Family
A meteor slumber party. Pick and dry apples. Learn to tie knots.
Greta Eskridge has created an activity book with 100 ideas to encourage a family to turn off their screens and make memories. The book is entitled 100 Days of Adventure: Nature Activities, Creative Projects, and Field Trips for Every Season.
My grandkids -- ages 10, 8 and 5 -- are coming for a week of Grandma camp in June. I can't wait to try a Garden in a Jar, Fabulous Fruit Pops, and Stand on Homemade Stilts.
The book is divided into the four seasons of the year to help you with your planning. I highly recommend this book!
I received a free copy of the book for my honest review.