Discovery Expeditions has taken Christian groups on one- and two-week hikes through the Sierra Nevada mountains for the last five years.
Why? By removing Christians from the everyday comforts of modern American living, the leaders of Discovery Expeditions hope to aid participants in discovering that God’s plan for their lives means service and commitment.
“Most people would prefer to learn about Christian commitment sitting in a seminar in a comfortable environment,” says John Yates, one of the guides of Gib Martin’s group. “Rut we think a better way to learn about commitment is when you’re living it out on the trail.
“Our theme verse is a phrase from Psalm 16: ‘Lead me to a rock that is higher than I.’ We want our hikers to rediscover what it means to be human and to serve God.”
Skilled mountaineers guide the groups through rugged terrain, acting as resource persons, facilitating the hikers journey from dependence on things to dependence on God. The trip is tough and there are real physical discomforts involved.
Yates goes on: “Ideally, we’d leave them entirely on their own. But safety is our first concern. We require a certain level of physical fitness, and we run prospects through a series of tests at camp before we go out on the trail so we will know what to expect when we get in tight situations.
“Once on the trail, we fight like crazy to avoid manipulating the hikers. There are alternatives at every step of the hike-no one is forced to do anything. We try to provide a setting where real learning and personal growth can take place-whether it does or not is up to the hikers themselves.
“We do our best to be friends. We help when asked, reassure when needed, and provide safety when necessary. But we also make it clear that we are guides, not babysitters.
“We take time to have them reflect on what they’re doing, what they’re saying, and how they’re responding to each other. Then we let them make the choices.
“It seems to work. I’ve never had anyone leave and say they’ve gotten nothing out of the trip.”
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