Payment: $150 deposit due upon registration Balance due by July 3
Qualifications:Must include a brief resume of physical achievements & physical conditioning program along with registration form.
This trip will have a special hands-on instructional focus on topographic map, compass, and GPS navigational skills. Each participant will have the opportunity to practice these skills as they take the lead in guiding the group along a portion of the trail.
High Adventure Experience
This trip is for elite athletes and follows a route mostly above the timberline. You will learn and use a variety of backpacking/mountaineering skills, and perhaps even come away with a renewed purpose in life. So, if you want a high adventure and a demanding physical challenge that could have a lifelong impact, then come with us.
Mountain Light Lodge
You begin your experience enjoying the charm and comforts of Mountain Light Lodge. After settling into your room, the dinner bell sounds for a wonderful home-cooked meal. orientation on wilderness safety. After some downtime and interaction with fellow participants around the fireplace, we will share an orientation on wilderness safety before retiring for a good night’s rest.
Weminuche Wilderness
This trip happens in the Weminuche Wilderness in the eastern part of the San Juan Mountain Range. Steep slopes, turbulent creeks, and an abundance of lakes, jagged pinnacles, and ridges characterize the impressive volcanic mountains. Your travel through them will allow you to encounter a never-ending display of panoramic vistas, and numerous excellent camp spots to watch the sunrise and set each day.
Continental Divide Trail / Wilderness Skills
Your trip starts in a gorgeous valley and a quick climb to the timberline. During most of the journey, we travel along a portion of the Continental Divide Trail. Along the way, we scamper to the top of one of the nearby peaks that make up the magnificent divide. Rising early in the morning, we course our way along narrow ridges with expansive vistas, providing unending opportunities to pause for unmatched photo opportunities. You also learn map and compass trail navigation, along with a variety of backpacking/mountaineering skills, including survival skills and dealing with weather in high altitude locations. Later on, we kick back around the campfire after dinner and discuss common life concerns and their scriptural solutions.
Hot Springs / Mountain Lodge Feast
Upon completing this high-altitude adventure, we head into the little town of Pagosa Springs for a long, relaxing soak in the world-famous hot springs. We then travel back to the lodge and relax on the deck, before enjoying a mountain-style feast straight from the grill – steaks, chicken or salmon, potatoes, corn on the cob, veggies, salad, garlic bread, and iced tea. Hot apple or cherry pie with ice cream for dessert will be available if you so desire. We conclude the evening around the fireplace, sharing our favorite moments and lessons learned over the past five days.
Voice of Wildernessis a Christian backpacking and retreat center specializing in spiritual refreshment, educational adventures, and physical challenges. Voice of Wilderness was founded by Chet & Bobbie Russell in 1973 and is currently based out of Mountain Light Lodge, located in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado.
