Teenagers who scale mountains, wake up at 5 a.m. on their own accord, cook and clean their own meals, research the mysterious of God, can it really be real? Well our superstar Seekers showed that given the tools and the opportunities, they truly can excel. Come read how in our 2016 Awakening Trip Recap.
Perhaps it’s not best to start an update on our current trip with, “Welllll…. They're Alive!” but, hey, it’s true (the worst was just some altitude headaches and blisters) and we call that success!* No worries, nothing concerning has happened, no close calls or near-deaths, just plain old fashioned adventure! Our three male Seekers, Grant and Veritas volunteer, David Wilder, are currently exploring mountains and rivers and valleys in New Mexico, and they are having a GRAND time. A Rio Grande time, that is! Yesterday they swam across the Rio Grande after hiking down into Box Canyon, and… They're alive! Okay, okay.. joking aside, they had a wonderful time and enjoyed it immensely, but I’m going to stop there and let them fill you in on the details themselves when they get back. For now I’ll just tell you a bit about today (Sunday, June 28)!
Today was about conquering the beast, Wheeler Peak. Our guys mastered all 13,167 feet to the top and had a QUICK victory rest before having to immediately descend due to the sudden onset of a storm (not unusual in the mountains!). So this crew of five picked up their feet and raced the storm to the bottom of the mountain, barely making it to the tree line when the hail hit! Have you ever been pelted by hail? Hail hits hard, you know. :) Anyway, they made it down safely and… yep, they're alive! ;)
Sometimes the fastest way down is sledding. When you don’t have a sled, you just.. you know, use your feet!
Tomorrow they’re heading to Taos to take on the 17-mile whitewater adventure called “THE BOX.” They will raft down 60 rapids, 13 of which are class 3 or more, which means they will all have to work together in one accord to maneuver the river. Tuesday they will drive out to Great Sand Dunes National Park for an afternoon of sand boarding and sledding on the glorious mountains of sand in south Colorado.
Keep your eyes peeled for another blog from their perspective coming soon!!
* We take the safety of our crew/participants very seriously and have no intentions of putting anyone in harm’s way! Nature just has a way of testing your limits, and your preparedness; so, yay for having the right gear, fitness, and will to get it done.
