Men's Beyond Trip

Dear Beyond,

I want to let you know what a blessing it was to have had the opportunity to live the
adventure (physical,emotional and especially spiritual) that Beyond Malibu provides. I must say it was the most wonderful and challenging thing that I have ever experienced and I continue to live my life well out of it this week. I felt so well taken care of, from the time we approached the dock to the send off at the very same dock... so please forward my appreciation to all the wonderful folks at Beyond. I met Deon & Dave this morning in the coffee shop and they are also in the same good shape as me - still in awe of our adventure and our God.

My Dear Guides Matty & Ryan,
I don't know where I can even start, to let you know what is on my heart for you both for the time we spent together, but let me start with gratitude. I went up the mountain a tired middle-aging man...worrying about my future , my head and heart choked closed with complaint, judgement and opinion. I came down the mountain, a child of God, with a spring in my step - a heart that can weep just looking at God's perfect beauty in each and every person I meet, a heart of lion - that has strength, power and purpose - the gift of song returning to my every waking moment - praising God with abandon.

So thank you ..
I admire you. I have been around a lot of great young people but I must confess - I still found you both extraordinary. Extraordinary in your willingness to be totally vunerable with us
and share your lives - the strengths and the wounds. Extraordinary in your leadership - it's not always easy for young men to lead older men - but you did it with such grace and humility - how could we not follow you anywhere - not matter how terrified or tired we were. Extraordinary in your servitude, I have never felt more taken care of, - yet not babied - never forgotten or overlooked - always included and yet still made to feel special and unique at the same time.

So thank you ...
I appreciate you. You made a team, right from the start, disciplined and taught to love,care for
and respect each other as peers and as men. I grew to love the fact that we didn't take our packs off unless we did it together, I loved the fact that we either all made the summit or none of us did. I love how we worked as a team - up to the top and back to the bottom - we will never be the same again, when we meet in church or in the community our eyes will search out that place where we are brothers in arms.. and it can't be ignored. I loved our "alone" time, our story time, our prayer time ...I couldn't get enough and it's got me praying more in the moment than ever... I loved being awoken by the sound of Ryan reading a Psalm .. I loved our singing and joking and praising ... loved our time with God , who most definitely joined us on the mountain and has most definitely followed us home. So far I have met David, and Deon today for coffee and they too are transformed, and our junior pastor called me today as Tom's wife just can't believe
his heart change... I look forward to meeting up with James and Blair tomorrow... and Dave and I will be praising God with our Men of Faith worship team tomorrow - and I can't but think ..that our spirits will be blessed from our adventure. Last and by no means least.... I need to tell you that I love you both very much, you are very different yet in many ways the same.. (I think God makes us like that) - but you complement each other so well and also seem to love each other...and that's the most important ingredient to the wonderful "two cup" meal that God made for us. You are easy to love and that too softened my heart. I'm proud of you both and only know that somewhere between here and eternity we will be praising God together again on a marvelous adventure.

Bill Trip participant.

Moods of the Inlet

Beyond sea kayaking. What an adventure. As a first year guide our guide trip was my first full week trip with my fellow guides. It was a phenomenal week. There were many points at which I was challenged both physically and spiritually. Paddling along the inlet I was filled with awe at the creation around me. The massive mountains rising from the depths of the sea; the cascading waterfalls falling thousands of feet to be lost in the water that kisses the base of the mountains; the swell of the ocean tides, the life found all around: the eagles of the sky, the seals of the sea, the bears along the shore. What an amazing expression of our creator. I was reminded throughout the week of what an awesome God we serve and how great He is, beyond our comprehension. What a blessing it is to be here in this place.

Elisa Halemier 1st year Sea Kayaking guide

10 Day Training

A lot has happened since we all arrived here at basecamp. Perhaps the most significant event was 10- Day training. The Basecamp Staff had a 10- Day full of hard work as everyone threw themselves into learning their new jobs and Rob and Kristen scrambled to cover the duties of the vacant food coordinator position. They managed to keep things light though by setting up a drive through one night for dinner: no vehicle, no food.

The guides had a different experience. After a warm day hiking the 4,375 feet up the Chatterbox Falls trail to Sun City, we were pounded by five days of snow accumulating a full foot. Spirits remained high though, saved particularly on day 4 by finding a sweet crevasse to jump into. That lovely crack on the edge of the JJ glacier gave us lots of practice setting up our rescue systems. Day 5 was summit day. It began with a fresh four inches of snow and an hour long discussion by the trainers that resulted in a summit change- JJ instead of Sun Peak. We lost nothing in the adjustment and the experience was spectacular. Just as the last group unhooked from the handline leading down from JJ’s peak the clouds broke and the valleys below filled with light. We even caught a glimpse of Mt. Tinniswood towering 10,000 feet high in the distance.

Our biggest struggle the whole week was definitely the battle for warmth. While many resorted to lining boots with plastic bags to combat the freezing feet that comes with 120 straight hours on the snow, others got a little more creative. Colin Ferris kept warm by hiking his pants up to his armpits while bouldering. Alysson Thicke kept her vocal chords warm by screaming, a lot, and Emily Yarborough maintained blood flow to the tips of her fingers by playing tunes on her backpacking-size guitar.

The trip down the mountain had its own set of excitements. Mike Yonkers kept things eventful with his epic spill down the avalanche chute that is Caldwell’s Corridor. We all made it out safely though with nothing but some good training and an epic amount of Christmas toe.

Basecamp staff welcomed us back with warm arms, strong hands, cookies, and coffee. Tuesday night the female basecamp staffers offered a foot massage to every guide in the Green House and were graced by an impromptu worship session thanks to Emily and Matty Azar. It was the perfect gift at the end of a long cold week.

The last week has been a scurry to prepare for the first round of trips. On Thursday we spent a work day fasting and focusing on praying for the upcoming summer. God is working here.

On Saturday morning at celebration breakfast Riley shared a Henri Nouwen description of Christian community, “We are together, but we cannot fulfill each other… we help each other, but we also have to remind each other that our destiny is beyond our together…[we are] a forward-moving group of companions bound together by the same voice asking for [our] attention.”

This is an accurate description of our community here. The image it conjures is the thirty of us on rope teams crossing the glacier to our summit. Each one of us is isolated in our own individual experience but we are all tied together pulling each other towards our goal and catching one another when we fall.

Campers arrived Saturday and are already off into the mountains. We may not be ready but God is. His timing is perfect so off we go towards the sound of his voice.

Becca Williams- 2nd Year Guide

Check out the 10 Day Training Slide Show