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