So, I took some young men on a “Wilderness Trek” (this is actually a sponsored event by an organization known as Wilderness Trek) and the title itself is very literal. We went on a wilderness trek, haha! We were in the woods of Northern New Mexico, we had to poop outside (yes like outdoors squatting) and all we had was: each other our, 50+ pound packs that we were carrying, oh and Garret and Alexa (aka Hitler), our guides!
But yo—what a trip it was! We hiked nearly 20 miles, summited a 13,000-foot mountain (the highest in New Mexico), and tackled a 2,000-foot elevation gain—oh, and did I mention the 50+ pound packs we were hauling the whole way? Like I said, this was a true “Wilderness Trek,” and man, it was one for the books!
The young men I took are a part of Mighty Men, which is part of a bigger organization known as Opportunity Tribe, and they have been part of that program with me and are incredible.
Can I give some context to justify how incredible they are? These guys were high school students from Midland, Texas. And if you’re not familiar with Midland, let me paint the picture of this one-of-a-kind, vacation-destination paradise (haha!): elevation—basically zero (haha!), tumbleweeds galore, no trees, and a whole lot of desert. Oh and might I add, before this trip even happened the organization who sponsors this likes to gather information about the groups. One of the questions for the trek was, how much can you run without stopping? (My favorite answer was “far”) but the longest distance completed in the group was 400 yards (we did 20 miles at 10,000+ ft of eleveation oh, you have to love high school students).
Okay, I said they were incredible right? I mean they proved their mettle! Were there complaints? Of course, but did they quit? No. Did they make an excuse as to why they should be there or could not do this? Nope!
Man, it was such an honor to be with those young guys. It was fun, it was hard, it was tough and all the feelings in between. We had revelations, we cried together, we sat around a fire and made smores, and we enjoyed each other’s company. Oh and I forgot to add, not only did we hike 20 miles, tackle a 2,000-foot elevation gain together, and summited a 13,000-foot mountain, it rained, hailed, sleeted and snowed, for the entire week that we were up there (hahahahaha)! And yet here I am writing this post, grateful. Ah it was a wonderful journey, filled with moments that I will cherish.
To Bray, Tarrel, King, Christian, Aden, Jayden, Jesse, Gage, and Miguel and the Mighty Men who were not there, thank you for the gift of your presence on that journey and in my life. I am honored to know young men such as each of you.
