Whitewater Rafting, Rock Climbing, and Lost Keys – Part 1

The 2008 Summer Adventure Camping Trip is in the history books.

Yes, you read the title right, there were lost keys involved in our mega-adventure trip. But for those details, you’ll just have to wait until the end of this write-up! Nothing like keeping your audience waiting.

Night #1: The Arrival

With about an hour of sunlight left, we arrived at the Noah’s Ark Rafting base camp in Buena Vista, Colorado (actually, Noah’s Ark base camp is located in the tiny town of Nathrop). We hustled to get tents up and some food in our bellies. Then I began to wonder about building a fire and I realized that I forgot newspaper! How do you start a fire without newspaper?!? How would we survive? Before I finished even thinking those thoughts and trying to figure out which dumpster to pilfer for some newspaper, I looked behind and Mariah and Abby had the fire started! They used weeds and pine needles as kindling and saved the evening. They are awesome outdoorswomen.

Later that evening, we were invited to join a college Young Life group from Phoenix for some fireside worship. It was awesome for our teens to see some college kids enjoying God and sharing their lives with one another.

Day # 2: Whitewater Rafting

I awoke to find everyone else already up and at ’em (a pattern that would hold true for the rest of the trip). Abby, Bethany and Mariah had the morning fire raging. After a breakfast of eggs (scrambled inside of ziploc baggies – a trick I learned from my nephew), we packed up camp and headed up to get on our penguin suits, um I mean rafting gear.

We all had wetsuits on, so there was no room for anyone to feel silly by themselves… we all looked ridiculous. (Oh yeah, I forgot my digital camera for the trip… there are relatively few pictures… tons of video, but only a few pictures. Mariah, Sarah, and Vanessa had cameras, so hopefully they email me pictures soon!)

The Arkansas River was awesome! Water levels were at record highs. In fact, several other sections of the river had been closed by the State of Colorado because they were too dangerous. In the 10 mile section we rafted, the water ran high, fast and cold. Zack, Stephen, Vanessa and Sarah were in one raft and Abby, Bethany, Mariah, and myself were in another raft. The people seated in the front of each raft got soaked, and the people sitting in the back got seriously bumped around. I was so grateful we had our penguin wetsuits.

These pictures were taken in the “Zoom Flume”, one of the best rapids on the trip. “The Seven Steps” was another favorite rapid.

At one calm point in the trip, we were told we could go swimming if we wanted. For some insane reason known only to God himself, Mariah, Bethany, Zack, Stephen, and I all decided to willingly jump into the 42-degree water (yes, that’s only 10 degrees above freezing). It was amazing to see how quickly everyone got back into their rafts.

The only casualty of the rafting trip was Stephen’s hat. We all took a moment of silence to commemorate his loss.

After the rafting, we somehow squeezed out of our penguin suits and headed up to the Chalk Creek Campground in the San Isabel National Forest, our basecamp home for the next two days. This campground was right on Chalk Creek (which was the biggest “creek” I’ve ever seen) was nestled right between Mt. Princeton (go Tigers!) and Mt. Antero, two 14,000 foot mountains. The roar of the creek was wonderful music to fall asleep to (much better than the train whistles in Branson).

Day 3# will be continued in part 2 of this post.

Prepping for Adventure

Four days from now, I will be going on a rafting and rock climbing adventure with 4 teenagers and two other sponsors. Call me crazy.

There are lots of details to check off the list between now and then. Borrowing camping and cooking gear, printing out tons of permission slips, and of course… making sure we have marshmallow and bug spray. I’ve got 4 Bible studies/devotionals/discussions to plan for our campers. I need to prepare to preach this Sunday and after we get back next Sunday. Oh yeah, and we have some great friends with two beautiful little girls coming to visit us before we leave too. It is definitely game time.

Proverbs 13:4 says “The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.” Now is the time to be diligent.

It may sound zany and crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Game time is where its at. This is where the rubber meets the road. If I don’t surrender it all to God and completely engage with the tasks at hand, none of it will happen. It has to be a God thing, because if its left up to me, it ainta gonna work.

Isn’t it funny how pressure works. Pressure can force us down one of two paths. As a human, pressure can mold us into the Git-R-Done, it all rests on my shoulders, I’d better buck up mentality that keeps us awake at night, sipping on coffee as we get progressively cranky with the people we love (not that I ever respond that way…). That’s path number 1. Personally, I like path number 2. As a believer, we have the opportunity to surrender to the person of Jesus and let him work and move through us. The things that need to get done will get done. We must continue to be diligent, but we recognize and acknowledge that it’s Jesus gittin’ R done.

I just hope I don’t spend too much time on path number 1 before I’m reminded that I need to be on path number 2.