72-Lost, Or Maybe Not So Much... Maybe Excited and nervous I packed up for a 5-night trek in the Cascade Mountains. The first day and a half I’d have one friend accompanying me, but I’d be flying solo the rest of the hike. The trail was clear, the map was honest and the rain had lifted as Shane and I began ascending the Citadel. Our boots felt light in the dirt and muddy patches, just having spent a summer guiding
68-Stick A Fork In Me Jerry, I'm Done! The Alder Trees have finally outgrown their torturous phase, providing a beautiful canopy shielding you from the hot sun, which in full illumination would draw out even more pesky droplets of salty water for your eyes to manage as you continue to work at full strength to ensure you make your boat time. Then to your disbelief, the trail makes a fork. “Why does there always have to be fork in
67-The Nameless River of Gnarliness The distant, dull roar of a mountain stream sends your mind in several directions. “Are we crossing this thing? Will my feet stay dry in my boots? Does this mean we are still on track or are we seriously lost? This is how I always imagined being lost would feel!” Dropping packs for the first time in several miserable hours was a huge relief as the swift wind from the mountain creek rapidly cooled the
66-Alders... Friend or Foe? The sense of relief that the briars were behind you as you stepped down onto a flat, mossy open patch of real estate dubbed the “TOLR” (Top Of the Logging Road) was quickly snuffed out as you explored your next move to descend. “Really? You have got to be kidding me,” is the only concrete thought you can muster as you reluctantly follow the pack in front of you into what seems to be a thick
65-Down The Mountain We Go! I don’t think my face hurt so much from over exposure from the bright, beaming sun that contrasted the perfectly blue sky, as it did from the perma-smile and joy that beamed from my spirit. Seven of us set out to climb a mountain and we succeeded. More impressive than that, the weather seemed to know how important it would be for the guys to look back and be able to see how far they
63-Take That Bob Ross Day two was drawing to a close and the mountain air had turned to midst. Before the clouds completely enveloped the seven of us like a cocoon around an excited caterpillar, Clark and I shot some bearings up the high ridge that loomed above us. Tomorrow was going to be a trudge, and how great it would be to have a nice sunny day and excellent view of the inlet falling behind in our snowy wake;
25-Take That Tough Guy! You step into the gym. Your nose immediately burns from the stench of bacteria filled pads from the hall of pain that you try not to look at as you pass through to the cubby you're going to call your own for the next 30 minutes. You change your shoes and sit down at your first game-changer, trying not to make it too obvious when you move the pin from 85 pounds (from the
24-How to Move When You Can’t See Your Destination Have you ever been in a thick fog on a cool spring morning? On my drive in to work at 6:30am there is always a heavy layer of cloud, hovering over a small creek that crosses under the road I travel on. Now, imagine this is no longer a short patch of midst, but rather your destination any direction that you choose to walk for miles and miles. Let’s
8-Boat Driver Casey Saves the Day... 2 Day's Late Hi everybody! My name is Matt Foss and I’m the Executive Director of a ministry called Project Forty. Project Forty is a unique wilderness mentorship program that uses wilderness trips as a catalyst to spark lifelong relationships. Here's what I have for ya... only the best story ever! You must hear about how teens from southern Cali perform in the damp mountains of British Columbia! Not trying to stereotype,
7-Have You Ever Stopped to Say, "Thank You LORD!"? Hi everybody! My name is Matt Foss and I’m the Executive Director of a ministry called Project Forty. Project Forty is a unique wilderness mentorship program that uses wilderness trips as a catalyst to spark lifelong relationships. We're going to continue on in our #harnessthemountains series, where we have been discussing awesome stories from British Columbia. This one comes from my friend Ryan, who had a group at the
