In the Utmost Heights

Colorado Trail Ministry, Part 3

Post Race Travels, Part 4

Although it took a while for me to post, this wraps up the amazing God-given adventure of backpacking missions on the Colorado Trail. How did everything ultimately shake out? Read on to find out!

Paul B., myself, and the Minnesota crew awoke early in the morning and started up the climb. Mt. Massive towered above us. Yet we pressed on, step by step. This was my first time ever climbing a 14er, so this served as a great opportunity to push myself and see God’s creation from new heights. We gained the ridgeline and a family of white mountain goats greeted us. It’s crazy seeing wildlife this high up, and they made their way up the ridge, just like us. A while later, we reached the summit of Mt Massive. Spectacular panoramic views greeted us, looking out into the horizon. The camaraderie at the summit was a good time, getting to know more skiers and celebrating being at the top. We made it to the bottom of the mountain before the afternoon thunderstorms hit, and I set up camp with the YWAM group a few miles down the trail.

A friend that I met on trail, Anthony, and I woke up the next morning, and on a whim chose to do Mt Elbert. Mt Elbert is the highest peak in Colorado, and it’s a hefty climb. This ended up being one of the busiest days on that mountain because it was a Saturday. I met people from different walks of life, including trail workers involved with Young Life. We continued to go up, getting amazing views of the valley and of Mt Massive, where I was yesterday. At last, we reached the summit of the mountain, and that festive atmosphere of camaraderie and fellowship returned once more. After summitting this peak, we took a different route along the southern ridge of the mountain, reaching Twin Lakes a few hours later. At Twin Lakes, we reunited with the YWAM group, ate a nice lunch, and camped out at an awesome campsite with friends overlooking the lake.

At the top of Mount Elbert, something truly amazing took place- and something that I hope ultimately inspires the church as it puts forth effort to see people find freedom in Christ. When we reached the summit, there was a lemonade stand! What was that doing up here? It turns out that four dedicated volunteers started up the mountain with 100 aluminum cans of lemonade with supplies up the ~4500 foot elevation climb to get to the top. The purpose: to raise awareness towards human trafficking and raise money to help fight it. What really awed me was the effort and passion they put into this project- and their goal of seeing women set free from trafficking. Their 4500 ft climb at 3 am showed dedication and determination with regards to getting the word out. If you would like to donate or pray over this group, it is called “Atlas Free” (https://www.atlasfree.org/). They are also affiliated with the “Climb for Captives” organization (https://www.climbforcaptives.com/), which organizes mountain climbs in different areas to fight human trafficking.

The next day, our group woke up to do another day of backpacking. It was my 13th day on trail, and in that morning I had no idea it was my last day. But God does strange things sometimes. Our group hiked around Twin Lakes and began a steady ascent up Hope Pass. Hope Pass is one of the most difficult sections of the trail, but the top greeted us with terrific views of the Collegiate peaks beyond us. Hope Pass reminded me that we are to place our hope in Christ- and that He sustains us to continue to have hope when life circumstances are very challenging. At the bottom of Hope Pass, I had a choice to make: continue with the group for one more day, or exit and start going towards Leadville. Yet at this point, it was raining, and a woman who just climbed La Plata graciously offered me a ride towards Leadville. After saying goodbyes to my friends and those who would continue in trail ministry, I left and exited the Collegiate range. A beautiful double rainbow arced itself across the landscape as I knew that in my heart, the Lord was taking me in a new direction.

The Leadville hostel was busy with runners getting ready for the upcoming races there. Yet there they were- two thru hikers that our group got to know about a week earlier in Breckenridge. I never expected to see them again, so it was terrific that God opened the door to have a good conversation with them. The next day, my friend Paul, who was part of the Alaska trip last year (https://bretthaas.theworldrace.org/post/alaska-lifelines-expedition), joined me. We reflected, talked about all that the Lord had done, and walked around the town of Leadville as I began the recovery process. It’s beautiful to share the Gospel- and it’s also beautiful to rest as well. This was one of the most restful days that I had in a while.

The next day, Paul and I drove back towards Denver, stopping by the town of Frisco along the way. We hiked up the beautiful Mayflower Gulch, up to an abandoned mining town. At one of the houses, one can look out of a window with the mountains framed perfectly. At scenes like these, I reflect on the windows of opportunity that the Lord opened over these past 15 months- thankful. I don’t exactly know what is next, but the mountains beyond the window remind me that more God-breathed adventures will happen someday. It was a great way to wrap up Colorado. Once back at Denver, I spent the night at a friend’s house and reorganized my pack. Their canvas painting of Maroon Bells greeted me as we relaxed together. The morning after, I arrived at the airport and took off from Denver, bound for the Sunshine State once more…

The word that comes to mind at the end of this trip is “thankful”. Not long after I began my faith journey with Christ in 2012, I began to look up to a couple of friends at the time that backpacked in southern Virginia as a ministry towards youth. Yet for a long time, I did not backpack, and it would be a while before major opportunities arose. Ten years later, God allowed those seeds to sprout, and placed backpacking as an avenue towards missions in my life. I hope to never forget those 200 miles, 2 14ers, the numerous hours of fellowship, and the freedom found in Christ that ultimately drove me to get into the woods and join an awesome team to share about Him. Yet as I type this paragraph from the couch with my backpacking gear next to my bed, I realize that the Lord knows when the next outdoor ministry adventure will take place!