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

Moving In

We are all constantly seeking a home, a place we feel comfortable in or a spot that our staff can rest in. Many Beyond folks refer to base camp as home. The second year staff whisper under their breath as they first step off the boat, "I am home"

But for some this place is still fresh and not yet familiar enough to call home. "Moving in" was hard, it took a long time and felt slow, but moving in is also the process of learning how to call a place home which can be hard and slow. My prayer for this summer is that the Beyond community realizes that this can be a place they call home but no matter if it is a place of rest or comfort, it is a place where God's grace is present and His will is done. I cannot think of two better characteristics for a home to have.

Always, Lauren Miller staff 2005, 2006 and opening crew 2007

Opening Base Camp

E.E. Cummings once wrote that the world is mud- luscious and puddle- wonderful! The first week opening camp has felt like this world E.E. Cummings describes- wet and muddy. I have found numerous puddles and found that the gritty mud really is quite luscious and great. This is part of base camp and part of the experience of learning to love the soul of a place. Base camp becomes free and wild when it's family of base camp staff, guides and campers leave it. The opening staff has been working to tame base camp once more and prepare it for another season of sharing Christ with campers. It has been an incredible adventure working along side other staff learning to live my new summer home. Once in a while the legendary mountains I hear story after story about peek through long enough to take my breath away and I ask myself- Did I really know what I was getting myself into?
Christy Fisher 1st year guide.

Summer Begins.

We have entered the Inlet to begin another summer of ministry.

Sea kayak the Fijords of the British Columbia Coastal Range

Or join us in a fantastic Sea Kayaking adventure either through the Skookum Chuck Rapids into Sechelt, Salmon and Narrows inlet or up the Jervis Inlet to the picturesque Princess Louisa Inlet. Explore the fijords of British Columbia.

Climbing to the Top

Come join us. Climb to the top of the snow covered Canadian Coastal mountain range. Starting at our base camp in Princess Louisa Inlet you will climb through coastal rain forest to the snow covered slopes of the coastal peaks. The adventure will be challenging and a breathtaking experience.