Have you ever exercised in the woods? I have.

I went for another hike again this evening after work. I'm so motivated to get outside because there are so many places to explore here! While walking the trails tonight I saw a sign that would lead me to Skull Cave. That sounded interesting so I changed my course and took a little detour through the woods. The whole time I was walking I was thinking how much more amazing the hike would be if I had an exploring buddy! Adventure is out there! (A penny to whoever knows what movie that's from!)

So I found Skull Cave but couldn't go in it because it was fenced off. You can see the cave in the pictures above. However, after reading the sign about it, I decided I didn't want to go in it! Who wants to see if those Indian bones are still in there? Not me.

After leaving Skull Cave, I continued back over the cliff to the Grand Hotel and through the woods on that side of the island. There, I found a Vita Course. I'd never heard of a Vita Course, nor do I remember seeing the sign for this one before today, although I'm sure it must have been there. I had planned on just walking to the Post Office to check my mail and then go back to my apartment to make dinner, but when I read about the Vita Course, I changed my plan again. I started to follow the course and it was so fun! The picture above explains what the course is, but I'll tell you anyways. This Vita Course was a series of 10 signs placed along a 1/2 mile path through the woods. These paths twisted and turned and some of the signs were a little hard to spot. I had a hard time finding sign 6 and I almost quit. But luckily I found it and could continue on. When you walked or ran the path and came to the sign, you followed the directions and did the exercise on it. Examples were pull-ups on a nearby bar, sit ups, push-ups, toe touches, etc. It was really fun and a neat way to add a little more exercise into my walk. I completed all 10 tasks and finished my hike with a walk along the boardwalk by the water. Simply heavenly.

While I was walking, I prayed like I usually do on my hikes, and started worshiping and praising God about His awesome Creation. Every time I see the water or go out on the cliffs and overlook all the trees and the downtown area and the water, I can't help but thank God for this beautiful sight. So today I started thinking about the idea that God makes all things new. When one tree dies, God allows a new one to grow. When the sun sets at night, God makes it rise again in the morning. He's done the same with me. When I was trapped in sin, God cleansed me and made me new again. I am so thankful to have a God who loves me so much that he is willing to wash me clean so that I can be a new creation. Nothing I do is ever the final word with God. He is always there to make me pure again.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17