Monday, July 19, 2010

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Back to Beyond after 30 years


I hadn’t been back to Beyond in 33 years. Why? Life happened…marriage and moves and Young Life and a child and jobs and, and, and... It had been such a great part of my life story and God had met me there. Ha, maybe I didn’t want to go back because I thought Gordy might ask me to lead a trip and I knew I couldn’t do it anymore (I know even Gordy wouldn’t take that chance!).
 
Then, this summer (June 2010), my husband, Bill, and I were invited to a week in Base Camp to help lead a group of college students from Northern Arizona University.  Bill and I had met at Beyond when he brought up a group of kids from Arizona the summer of 1977. I greeted their trip on the dock covered in balloons which, for some crazy reason, wasn’t initially that impressive to him! Anyway, this summer I was prepared and willing to go be with the college students from NAU; it would be great for them to see life at Beyond and to do a work project, it would be a good experience for them. But, wait a minute…now we’re on the boat and we’re on the Princess Louisa; shafts of sunlight are hitting parts of the ridges and I’m recalling a long ago sense of anticipation that God is up to something. I remember this feeling….looking forward and yet afraid at the same time of the awesomeness of God’s presence.  Stepping off the boat onto the dock at Base Camp was overwhelming for me; I got that “weak in the knees” deal. I was home. I had to walk very slowly back along (much wider and less devil’s club obscured) paths around the place where I was born in so many ways; the place I learned to overcome fears and Go Beyond my own no-risk safety net. It was a place of kindness and quiet and peace. A place of reflection and a reminder of who I was and am at the core.  I returned to this place to lead college students and realized the trip was actually a homecoming for me. A lot has happened in the years between the summers of ‘76-77 and 2010, blessings I never would have imagined, pain I never would have chosen, failures and victories.  But, this was the place where I became convinced that the Creator of this amazing universe loved me, was far beyond all I could ask or imagine and would never leave me, no matter what.

Jim Caldwell has said that Beyond is a thin place; a place where the separation between “I and Thou” is a little more narrow. That is true. For me, I also feel His presence is heavy there…heavy in a palpable weight of the evidence of His presence, beauty and power. His voice is a little clearer. It was a blessing to be back, and a great week with the group we were with. I became reminded of so many truths that sometimes get lost in this crazy world that is not our home. I know we don’t want to get too comfortable here. We need to be ready for that trip someday when we all get to Go Beyond…won’t that be awesome? I think I’ll wear balloons.

-Jan Hamilton
 Mountain Guide 1976-1977

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Life Happens in the Journey

My name is Grace King and I’m a first year mountain guide here at Beyond.  I had the amazing experience of going out last week on my first trip of the summer, with a group from Arizona, with the summit of Albert in our sights.  We were a group of fifteen including leaders and guides and we set off with high spirits toward our goal.  It wasn’t long until we began encountering unexpected setbacks. By day three a bout of temperamental weather moved in and we awoke the next morning to five inches of fresh snow. That morning we realized we had to readjust our goals and the High Ridge campsite became our new summit, one day and a thousand feet short of our original goal.  After dusting the snow off of everything, warming up a bit with breakfast and taking down camp, we headed up the long stretch of snow to the High Ridge in near whiteout conditions.
I was praying throughout that day that our participants would get to see the view at some point.  Walking up that snowfield looked endless, step after step, stretching up above and down below us until it disappeared into the fog in both directions.  As we neared the High Ridge, the clouds lifted and suddenly we could see all of the surrounding mountains, the inlet below us, the rocky outcroppings that make up the North and South Sentinels near our campsite, and the breathtaking icefall created by the glacier flowing out of Microwave Bowl.  We were so excited. We spent an hour taking pictures and standing in awe of the beauty of God’s mountains set against the fire of the sunset He painted for us that night.
That evening, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have been willing to climb up all that way had there been no chance of a break in the clouds, no prospect of an amazing view, just fog, fog, fog, all the way up and all the way down.  I posed this question to the group that night and we talked about life and the times when following God seems like walking up a snowfield in a whiteout with no goal in sight.  Sometimes I’m so focused on the goal that I miss the richness of the journey, with all its joy and pain.  God has been teaching me about the value of the journey for the past few years.  So often I get oriented toward the future and I miss the beauty of the life that happens along the way.  The journey often has a greater and more lasting impact on my life than the brief moments of achievement I experience.  After all, the journey is what makes the achievement possible, and what makes reaching my goal so sweet.  I want to be willing to journey with God, not knowing when the sun will break through the clouds but certain in the fact that my heart is being transformed in the process.
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Gracie King is a first year mountain Guide at Beyond Malibu.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear a voice behind you saying “this is the way, walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:21

Updates from Base Camp and Egmont

We blinked and suddenly we are in the middle of week three.  Time flies when you are having fun.  So far we have had two great weeks of trips in the mountains and on the water and we want to tell you about them. 
We doing our best to continue posting stories and updates from trips and Base Camp as the summer continues.  Be sure to check back each week for more. 

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

College Week at Base Camp

Two weeks ago I spent an amazing week at Beyond Malibu Base Camp. Since we began planning this trip I've been super excited to see how it would all pan out. My wildest expectations didn't even come close to the experience we received. I think the way one of my friends talks about Beyond Malibu sums it up nicely. In his words, "[Beyond] Malibu is a very thin place" a place where the Lord's voice is clearer, louder and more frequent. We all need that, don't we?
We played hard, worked hard, ate like kings and queens, laughed, lounged and simply enjoyed life together and it was amazing! We were in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We enjoyed silence and the presence of God. We were welcomed with open arms into the Beyond community. We shared our stories, adventure and life and it was a remarkable week to remember forever.

A day in the life at Base Camp started with breakfast around a huge table, followed by a hour of silence with the Lord (AMAZING), work projects, more food for lunch (yummy), some sort of adventure in the afternoon (wake-boarding, visiting Malibu Club, a short hike, sea kayaking, napping in a hammock, swimming with sea lions), more food (dinner) hanging out around a fire sharing life stories and being encouraged by teaching from Bill and Jan Hamilton or singing songs around the fire, then off to bed until the next amazing day.
I will always remember the time (years ago) that I ventured into the mountains at Beyond and now I will always remember the Base Camp of Beyond and how it impacted me in different but equal ways to an epic trip up into the wilderness of Beyond Malibu. One of the coolest things about this opportunity is that it served college aged students so well. This trip is perfect for anyone who is leading college students and I believe will bless them in ways you could not have imagined. Thanks Beyond Family, you blessed us.

-Jason Rinne
 Area Director
 YoungLife Northern Arizona

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Training Complete - Let the summer begin!

In June, I participated in my 4th Beyond Malibu 10 Day, this time as a trainer. My first go-around with 10 Day was frightening. The hike up Chatterbox was endless. My VW Bug-sized backpack toppled me like a house of cards as we swung under logs, crawled through Caldwell's Corridor, and kicked steps up the... snow!?!? (I'm from Arizona). One reason I think God placed me at Beyond Malibu as a camper, then as a guide, and now as a trainer is that being in His creation allows change, growth, and hope in the face of discomfort and fatigue and fear. Making myself available to RISK makes room for God to do his thing. Climbing up Chatterbox will ALWAYS be a challenge, but the difference this time around is I understand what we're aiming for-- geographically and spiritually.

A few days of mountain life shared with fellow guides is SO fun. This year on 10 Day we shared life stories, led one another in Bible studies, talked about mountain metaphors, practiced self-arresting with ice axes, followed the leads of maps and compasses in white outs, roped up on a glacier, and as the song proclaims: hiked it like your mama's stairmaster.

Here's the rundown of our week on Sun Peak & JJ:

Day 1, teams “Risk-Eh?”, “Boot Axe”, and “[Whistle]” (pronounced, “brackets whistle”) said "packs on!" and began hiking on the boardwalk at Chatterbox Falls; which soon turned to something more closely resembling a staircase. As the day turned to evening we reached Panorama Point, and as the sky began to sprinkle our muddy knees clean we finished the long trek to Sun City for the night. The rest of 10-Day -can you believe this! - it didn't rain or snow!!! Some people were bummed about this "less-extreme-weatherless-experience", but I was elated to sleep in a dry sleeping bag.
On Day 2, we found Rock-'N-Roll rock covered with snow and proceeded down to Contact Lakes where we got to camp on ROCK! The guides then practiced their rope skills of fixed handlines, anchors, and belays.
Day 3, piled with sunscreen and polypro tee's, we focused on map and compass, rappelling, and self-arrest. That night, the guides and mice alike breathed in the delicious aroma of Mexi-Meal.
On Day 4, a nimble rope team tracked down the perfect crevasse for "Hurk" and "Z-Pulley" rescue system practice. Gallons of "Ricky" were guzzled, numerous up-the-nose sunburns were acquired that day and spirits were high as we withdrew from the glacier and headed back to the Moraine to camp.
Day 5, we compass marched across the JJ Glacier amidst huge, rolling clouds with intermittent glorious views of surrounding mountains and valleys. All 3 groups summitted that day... Happy Snickers to all!
Day 6 commenced our commute home. By this time life stories had been traded, mountain treats devoured, and skills polished. Talk began of upcoming trips - kids and adults were on their way to Beyond for week #1 already! Excitement stirred as we all contemplated what was waiting for us in the Valley below.
Day 7: Each team awoke early to retrace their steps back down towards the inlet. Upon our return to base camp, we thankfully pulled off our boots and sock liners, dried out the tents and flies, shared stinky hugs with gracious base camp staff members, and sighed with relief as we donned cotton shirts and bare feet.
10 Day 2010 was a journey of redemption, humility, stillness, and huge leaps outside ourselves. God tugged all 24 of us up and down the mountain to be affected and maybe even changed by what He had made. I am SO thankful to have gotten to join this summer's guide staff at the beginning of their summer pilgrimage with kids and adults into the mountains of Beyond. Let the summer begin!
- Lauren Hamman
  Mountain Guide 2006-2008

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Guides out on 10-Day Training


The 2010 season is fully underway. When I boated into Base Camp on Tuesday morning I found a fully functional camp and the final pieces of staff training already on the go. As I write, our sea kayaking guides are on the water and our mountain guides will be headed up the mountain early tomorrow morning for one last week of skills practice. We are less than 10 days away from having participants here at camp and we can’t wait.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the summer.