On our last day at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, Lee and I decided to hike the Lower Paddock Trail that goes through the valley hoping to see the herd of bison. Up until this point we had only seen small groups, not the huge herds they were talking about. When we pulled into the parking area there was a herd of 40-50 bison off to the side grazing. We took pictures and continued down the trail. As we were walking we came across a lone bison using the same trail we were on, so we quickly got behind a tree and watched him pass by (he was only about 5 ft away) we watched him use a rock wall as a scratching post.
We continued the trail and found the most photogenic bunny ever. Being a wild bunny, he was pretty cute and not afraid at all of us. Lee squatted down to get closer and the bunny just posed for him. At one point Lee got too close, it jumped in the brush but jumped back to see if he was still there, jumped back in the brush and jumped out again, looked at us, and continued to pose for the camera. He finally hopped off and we continued our walk.
As we walked, two people on horseback warned us a large herd was heading in our direction and to be careful. We kept walking and as we rounded the bend there was another herd of 40-50 bison. We kept our distance while taking pictures of them. I’m glad we have a long-range camera lens. The herd started walking our way using the hiking trail. Lee and I turned around and had to head off trail to stay out of their way but wanted to keep an eye on them too in case they started running, So we headed up a hill and watched them pass.
We eventually made it back to the trail, when we saw more bison coming. We continued to stay just far enough in front of them to be safe. Finally, we realized there would be no more places to hide before they hit the prairie so we quickly got behind a small tree and watched them walk by. It was at this point, I realized I didn’t have my phone. I panicked. Where was my phone? Had I dropped it somewhere? If so where? We had been all over the place, on trails, off trails, It was going to be impossible to retrace our steps.
Since we knew the two herds were going to meet, Lee went to take pictures, while I started to attempt to retrace our steps. I started praying to God and St. Anthony, the Patron Saint of Lost Things asking Him to show me where my phone was. I recall an image coming into my mind, but I was so focused on trying to figure out where we had been, I ignored it. I was frantic, I knew losing my phone ruined what was an amazing day. I knew a new phone wasn’t cheap and I knew Lee wasn’t happy. I was so focused on not running into any more bison and the disappointment I felt I kept ignoring the image in my head of a hillside.
As I was walking I came across two lone bison who I had to hide behind a tree to avoid. Lee eventually caught up with me and we continued looking. We finally ran out of water so we headed back to the truck. Lee refilled the water bottles, while I drove back to the RV to get more water, and to jump online to see if I could get a better idea of where my phone was with the find my phone app. While I was gone, a third herd walked by causing Lee to play the ultimate game of hide and seek. He had to stay far enough in front of the third herd, but far enough behind the second one. Needless to say, he played the ultimate game of hide and seek and was stuck by the herd for about 20 minutes as they passed by.
When I got back to the park, all the herds were together near the parking area. As I walked the meet-up with Lee I realized it was going to be harder than it looked as bison were spread out across the trail leaving no room to safely walk past them. I could see Lee on the other side, so I waited behind a tree for enough of the herd to go to one side or another. I finally was able to make it across and Lee and I continued to look for the phone. At this point we enlisted my parent’s help and asked them to call the phone every few minutes, my dad made 194 calls.
At one point, Lee and I had just come up a steep incline and I turned around to check on Lee when I saw a lone female bison about 15-20 feet behind him. We quickly stepped off the path giving the bison plenty of room to walk past us. As much fun as it was to play hide and seek all day with bison, I really wish I hadn’t lost my phone. The sad part was I couldn’t remember where I last had it, because I was so concerned with staying far enough away from the herds. Sadly, even with my parent’s help, my phone is forever lost in the park. We spent 5 hrs looking for it zig-zagging and retracing our steps the best we could but we couldn’t remember where exactly we left the trail, and considering 2 herds of bison walked the path the odds of the phone being damaged or stepped on were pretty high.
That night before I went to bed, I prayed that God would help me find my phone, I asked him to show me where it was. An image of the park where we stopped to take pictures of the bison kept appearing in my mind. It was the same image that I had seen earlier in the day but was too distracted to really see. I asked Lee if we could go back to the park and look one last time before we had to leave. Lee agreed, but only to appease me.
At 6am we got up and went back to the trail. We hiked to the area hillside I saw in my head, the one we had to climb when we had to jump off the trail to let the bison pass. We climbed the hill and I started searching in a zig-zag pattern. After 15 minutes of searching, I found my phone, sitting in a dirt spot that was surrounded by grass. I immediately yelled to Lee, “I found my phone, I found my phone” and thanked St. Anthony and God for showing me where it was. Looking back I realized that finding my phone in a national park was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but with God’s help, I found it. Amazingly, enough when we got back to the RV and plugged it in, it still worked.
God does answer our prayers, but so many times we are too busy or distracted to see or hear the answers. It wasn’t until I was in bed that I realized He had been showing me where my phone was the whole time.
Open our hearts, ears, eyes, and mind and you will see that God is talking to you. Just not always in the way you expect.
Leukemiagirl 