116-Wilderness A common question we get here at Project Forty is why does this matter? How does unplugging in the wilderness crossover into ministry? This last trip we guided was a fresh reminder of why we believe in what we do. After trip with 8 guys, over 3 days with 2 rappels, and 1000 push-ups later, it was abundantly clear to me why we do what we do. It all started with a connection through our former Pastor Doug
115-There's A Time To Rappel And A Time To Just Be... I punched in my passcode again, feeling the weight of my own, self-inflicted guilt for my dependence on my personal computer and connection to the world, held nonchalantly with a single hand. Compared to most, my display of apps doesn’t even require folders for organization because they are so few, but ranking among the highest in priority is that weather app. Where’s the adventure in this? I thought
111- Expedition Log Expedition log: January 12th, 2023. We set off on our expedition late last night. With wide open roads and perfect conditions, it took us less time than expected to arrive at our base camp situated in the heart of Munising, just blocks off the mighty Lake Superior. The crew wasn’t exactly thrilled with a lack of cell phones and sleep as we initiated our first alpine start. It was approximately 4 am when we started to prepare
110- Ice Tales I am a product of Project Forty discipleship. My connection to Project Forty first began through a Facebook marketplace ad. No, Matt was not selling his never ending trail riddles, he was selling chalk bags as a fundraiser for wilderness ministry, and I wanted to know more. I needed more than just a chalk bag at that point in my life, I needed to be mentored and encouraged in my walk with Christ. I was at the
109- What Do You Do When You Hit 'The Wall'? “I can’t” leaked from Jahiem’s lips for the final time in my humble opinion. My feet remained planted on the root covered rock that acted as my belay platform, while I gently sat into the rope a bit more, letting Jahiem know that I “had him.” He had battled his way up the first twenty-five feet or more of the dry, sandstone face that had likely split thousands of years
105-And That's How The Poison Ivy Patch Improved Our Lives The lack of patience some people have in our current culture was slightly eating at my insides as I observed a local guide hopping over the four-foot gap to gain access to the top of our next intended climb site. We were wrapping up our climbs on Guide Left and Guide Right to hand over the reins to the first-timers behind us, but now it was time to revamp our
97-Tie In, Go Ahead... Tie In Already Glancing over my left shoulder I gauged the speed of the sun seeming to fall down over the distant ridge that outlined the Red River Gorge. This was more than just a beautiful sunset from Eagle Point Buttress, overlooking a sharp bend in the river nearly 300 feet below; it was a race to get our team to the bottom for much needed water and to set up camp before the rain caught
94-Rain, Rain, Go Away... Then Come Back In An Hour I checked my weather app one more time, even though I had swiped through it only a couple of hours prior—still thunderstorms every day? Really God? Help me to have a good attitude and capability to make this trip not stink. The drive down brought me closer and closer to my second home, the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. With a small window between potential storms, Chris, Jen and I
93-Swimmin' In The Moonlight How many spots have we passed already? The sun had disappeared behind the thick collage of green, browns and blacks that made up the Kentucky forest in the cool of the evening. Scouting out the perfect campsite for an OCD outdoorsman can prove to be quite the challenge sometimes. Would the Tentsile fit between these trees? Well, this one maybe, but it’s under a huge widow-maker that would not end well in the event of a
91-When Lemons Abound... Forty-two degrees is unseasonably warm for the frozen shoreline of Lake Superior as February snow typically pushes back the sandy Chapel Beach deeper beneath it’s growing weight. The ice formed by persisting water seepage atop the cliffs and the blasting falls that fight against the slow formation that freezes its power in its tracks, yielded to the even stronger ball of fire that dictates our life on this planet. Dropping in the middle of this fire and
