Outfitting the Soul

6.6.12

Jessica looking out at our lunch spot on Colchuck Lake

     The day off was a great break for the brain. I didn’t plan on doing anything too intense, but when my roommate (Jessica) told me a group was going hiking, how could I resist?! We ended up taking our time getting into town, then stopped by the Bavarian Lodge to pick up a Forest Service pass from some friends. We were generously offered to eat a scrumptious breakfast with the family and they all seemed to have a wonderful time getting acquainted. Seconds after getting back in the car, Jessica, Trevor, and Jeff couldn’t stop commenting on the great time they had. “Devan, your friends are amazing. You are so blessed!” They are so right!

Trevor & Jeff checking out the map at Colchuck

     We finally made our way up to the Colchuck trailhead and experienced a refreshing hike up. Our conversation revolved around our stories, how God has been bringing us each to this point in our lives, and how we see God’s handiwork in creation and the lives of people. Sometimes we just had to take a break on the trail and ponder the awesomeness of our Great Dad.

     Coming across hikers on their way down, their reports said the clouds were covering the peaks of the mountains. But just as we arrived to the melting lake, the sky broke apart and only closed as we started to leave.

    The third part of our day consisted of crashing my parent’s first summer BBQ of amazing steak and summertime treats. My dad followed up supper with a slideshow presentation of his recent Tiger Cruise on the Nimitz. Pretty spectacular ship - we learned a ton and enjoyed the entertainment!

 The next day our whole team was back to work at the Ranch, learning about how to check kiddos out with backcountry gear and practicing other skills needed in the backcountry. We covered everything from compass and map reading to lighting camp stoves; from essential knots to hanging bear bags. Then we checked out gear we would need for a 3 day trip and packed our bags.

 Early the next morning (I think this was Sunday…), we headed out for Nason Ridge and Rock Mountain. The hike isn’t very long, but it was steep and slow-going especially after we hit snow! But we all made it up safely and got camp ready to rock and were able to eat a yummy warm dinner before watching a beautiful sunset courtesy of the Maker.

The next morning, we wasted no time and began snow school! This is not usual for summer staff to go through because we usually lead in the...summer...but since La Nina has blessed us with an overabundance of snow this past winter, we want to be prepared in case we ever come across some sketchy situations as we guide.

Snow school included learning to hike up and down steep pitches with the aid and support of ice axes. Then we covered self-arresting. Self arresting is basically when you have lost control on a slope and need to stop. We practice this by climbing up a steep spot and throwing ourselves down the hill (either on our butts, backs, or stomachs) and using the ice axe to stop ourselves. It’s fun and thrilling, but takes quite a bit of practice and stamina. We also covered some basic mountaineering rope guides that might be utilized with a group who is having a hard time crossing a steep slope, or if someone has already fallen down a hill.

Me...trying to self-arrest

The third day we woke up to a beautiful fresh fall of snow! I was super pumped (because I’m weird and like snow…), but this meant that we had to get out of camp and out of snow before too much fell to cause avalanche danger for our traverse down. Breakfast was skipped, we shared some beef jerky, packed up, and headed down!

Only 20 minutes down the leaders of the team decided to set up a rope station to help some of us across, just to be safe. Although I was super pumped, some people were having a hard time with the snow and it was really encouraging for me to see them take those scary steps in faith. I am so proud of our team and the fears we conquered together!

After the sketchy snow slope, one of the team members was physically unable to make it down. There’s so many details to what happened, but bottom line, I was so amazed to witness a team transform from caring about their cold feet, their sleepiness, and their hunger into a team who took on the weight and burdens of others in order to see a safe evacuation for their fellow teammate. I’m not glad this happened, but I am grateful our team was given this opportunity to shine and pull together as the body of Christ in performing different functions so the whole task could be fully completed. Some assisted in treatment, some ran down to the cars to get them situated, and some took on extra weight in their packs; every job was equally needed and important. Just to let you know, everything worked out alright and they are feeling much better! Praise God!

Well, this has been quite the entry. There are so many details I have not included. Right now, we are taking a little breather from adventure trips and focusing on operations and how things will be carried out as a staff team. We will also be going over initiative games, challenge courses, and spiritual lessons (like ways of sharing the Gospel through story-formed way, etc….more on that later).Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement...I need it so much and am blessed beyond comparison. I am praying for you all as well. God has richly blessed me to be a part of this ministry...I know I am here to be a guide and a leader for these teens, but I expect to stretch and grow in ways I could never imagine. God is the ultimate guide and I am only His child, here for the purpose of telling others about how great my Dad is.