As the area director of the Christian youth ministry Young Life, Chris Dillbeck is used to organizing trips to camps around the country. This summer, Dillbeck was tasked with organizing a new kind of adventure: taking a group of graduating seniors to the peak of Mount Albert in British Columbia, Canada.
The idea for the hike came after some of the boys in the group attended a Young Life camp and met someone who had previously participated in a Young Life hike, Dillbeck said.
“They have some in Colorado and then they have this one in British Columbia,” Dillbeck said. “These senior boys said they wanted to do something unique and special for their senior year, and have been planning it since October or November of last year.”
Along with Dillbeck, the group consisted of Trenton Lane, Xander Brubaker, Dawson Lamb, Wyatt Pierce, Harrison Dillbeck, and Brody Brubaker.
Lane said that while the idea of hiking a mountain was an enticing challenge, most of the boys wanted to do the trip for spiritual purposes.
“We were going with the purpose of having a spiritual awakening,” Lane said. “They say that the higher up in the mountains you get, the closer to God you are. That was our main driving thing.”
The 5-day, 6-night hike up the 8,373-foot mountain took much preparation, said Dillbeck and Lane. While Young Life provided the gear and expertise, clothing and the physical preparation was up to the group.
“It really is a high-physical demand trip,” Dillbeck said. “Unless you’re the kind of person that lives for mountain climbing, it’s tough.”
The difficulty is something that the group realized on their very first day of the hike.
“Within 20 or 25 minutes, there were a few guys that said ‘This is not what I signed up for’ because it was just so hard,” Dillbeck said. “You would hike for hours. People were physically making it, but mentally it was really hard.”
Despite the challenges, Dillbeck said that getting to see Alpine forests, glaciers, mountain springs, and beautiful campsites every night helped the group recenter.
“Every evening we would get to our campsite and they were always in beautiful places with beautiful views,” Dillbeck said. “Your spirits and your mental status would renew.”
Lane agreed with Dillbeck, and said that reaching the summit of Mount Albert put their journey in perspective.
“We were standing above the clouds,” Lane said. “Then the clouds started to clear and then you could see all the way we came. It was definitely neat.”
As far as what the boys will take away from the trip, Lane said that it has given him and his friends a new appreciation for life.
“When you’re in a place where you’re sleeping on snow, sleeping on rocks, (and rationing) your water because you can only boil so much, it gives you an appreciation for how awesome life is at home,” Lane said.
Dillbeck referenced the Biblical concept of Ebenezers, which are monuments erected in remembrance of a great act of God.
“I feel like this trip is like a mental Ebenezer,” Dillbeck said. “I think that’s what we will be left with.”
