The sign-up deadline for Trek has passed, but if you would like to go, talk to Monty or Heather. We will make room for you if the folks at Trek let us add additional people. And, honestly, we want you to go. It would be even better if you were there. When else do you get a chance to climb a mountain and grow closer to God? (answer: Not very often.)
So, let us know if you'd like to join us and we'll try to make it happen.

God's Love . Mountains . Worship

Backpack . Prayer . Together . Jesus

Hope . Never the same

Summer 2023 is going to be great. One of the things we are most excited about is that our high school group will be going to Trek. Trek is a great week of spiritual growth and spiritual focus in the mountains of Colorado. This webpage contains everything you need to know about Trek. You can sign-up by using the link at the bottom of this page.

Here are some of the big details about Trek:

Dates: July 6-15

Who: Students currently in 9th-12th grade

Sign-up Deadline: April 23

Cost: $375 ($425 after April 23, if spots available)

Okay, now that you’ve read the big details, it's time to really find out all the info about Trek. And, well, there's a lot to know. So look at all the info below. And then talk to your parents and see if you can go. If they say yes, then sign-up using the form at the bottom of this page. And then we'll go. And it will be awesome.

What is Trek? Trek is a 6-day wilderness backpacking experience in the mountains of Colorado. We'll spend time hiking, camping, rappelling, backpacking, in devotionals, in Bible study, cooking and being in the backcountry. Trek is led by trained guides who will lead us to different campsites, and we'll have an attempt to climb to the summit of a 13,000 or 14,000 foot mountain. The overall goal of Trek is to learn more about God and strengthen our relationship with Him. While Trek is in the mountains, Trek is not about the mountains. Instead, it's all about God and His love for us. (But the mountains He made create a wonderful place to be, and makes this trip even better.)

Who? Where? When? Trek is for all current HS students. The base camp for Trek is near Twin Lakes, Colorado. The current plan is to leave B/CS on July 6 and return on July 15.

Do I need to be in shape for Trek? Short answer: yes. Long answer: y -y - e - e - e -s - s - s. Okay, really, it's not like you need to be able to run a marathon, but you do need to be in shape. Good shape. We'll be hiking at altitudes between 10,000 and 13,000 feet with a backpack on our backs. It is suggested that your fitness level should be such that you can walk/run 2 miles in 20 minutes at a minimum. Make no doubt, Trek is awesome, but If you spend all spring and summer lying on the couch watching tv and eating cookies, you will have a hard time at Trek, and our group will have to wait on you. We will exercise together some, but you will have to exercise on your own as well.

Do I need a tent, backpack, and such? No, a lot of the things you need for Trek are furnished for you. Things such as tents, backpacks, stoves, cooking utensils, etc., are provided. Many of the things you'll need are things you already have. (like pants, shirts, socks, gloves, sweatshirt, etc.) The following is a list of suggested items you might not already have: heavyweight socks, hiking boots (not required...many people use tennis shoes), jacket or parka with hood, poncho or rain suit, and 2 one-quart water bottles.

Are there TV's at the campsites? No, sorry.

Is there Wi-Fi? No.

Are there radios? No. Seriously, are you really asking these questions? It’s camping. It's getting away from everything. And in getting away from everything, we are able to focus on our relationship with God and see Him in ways that we sometimes do not see Him. It's incredible. Having no phones/computers/screens/etc is one of the best things about Trek.

Phones and electronics. As with all of our trips, electronics such as tablets, laptops, video gaming devices, etc., are not allowed on this trip. If you want to bring your phone, you can turn it in when we leave, and it will be passed out 1-2 times before/after we go on the mountain. Except for those times when we pass out phones to call your parents, Trek will be a non-phone trip.

What if I can't go this year? Can I go in two years when we go again? Great question. And... the answer is: maybe. But maybe not. If you would like to go to Trek during HS, this may be the only year we go. We simply don't know if or when we will go again. We have been in a pattern of going to Trek every two years in the past. However, as with all youth ministry things we do, we constantly re-evaluate to make sure we are doing the best things we can do for our group. We may go to Trek again in the future...or we may not. So... if you are currently in high school and want to go to Trek before you graduate, consider going this year.

Can we climb the cross-tower for practice? No. But the tower by the Stella hotel (at Lake Walk in Bryan) or other tall sets of stairs (like in one of the parking garages on campus) make for good places to go and exercise.

Can adults go on Trek? Yes, but we are very limited in how many adults we can take. Unlike Winterfest or retreats, we can not take everyone who would like to go. We wish we could. Talk to Monty or Heather if you are interested.

Service Hours: Each student who goes on Trek will be required to complete 10 service hours between January 1 and July 6. These can be on your own, from doing service projects with our youth ministry, or for volunteering at things like Kids' Praise or VBS. This is not intended to be difficult, but rather to help us each serve before going to Trek. We will be serving while at Trek, so this is a good opportunity to also serve before Trek.

Pre-Trek Bible Study: We will have a pre-Trek Bible study for each participant to go through before Trek. This will be one we distribute and you'll complete on your own.

Bible Memorization: There will be some verses which each student who goes to Trek will need to memorize. If you have been coming on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights, you already know most of the verses.

Coming to Church: We would like for everyone who is a part of our church family and who is going to Trek to be involved in classes and worship during the spring and summer as much as possible. It's going to be really hard to be connected and involved with everyone at Trek if you don't want to be involved and connected to everyone while we are in town. We know you're busy and maybe you have things scheduled on Sunday other than church, but we want to encourage you to make worship a priority over worldly things on Sunday mornings, and we encourage you to join us on Sun nights and Wed nights as well. (And we would love for students who are not a part of our church, but who want to come to Trek, to come and get connected to our group before Trek, but this is not a requirement.)

Cost: Your registration fee covers lodging, equipment rental (backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooking gear, etc.) wilderness guides, campground use before/after our time on the mountain, journal, t-shirt, and wilderness permits from the US Forest Service. We will also have some meal expenses (7-8 fast food meals) while traveling. This meal money is not needed until we leave. (and we try to do these 7-8 "traveling meals" very economically. We'll make sandwiches or do other things we can to save everyone from having to buy a fast-food meal for each of these meals,)

A few words about the cost: First, we work hard to keep costs low. We stay in churches instead of hotels. We buy food for some of our "on the road meals" before we leave so that it costs less than meals at a fast-food place. Our church takes care of all transportation costs (which is a really large amount) and some food costs as well. Also, our outfitter works to keep their costs low. Many other wilderness outfitters charge hundreds more for a similar outfitting and guide service. Unlike many other outfitters, however, the emphasis of Trek is on the Lord. The week will have a Biblical theme and each day will have a different spiritual focus. We say this to let you know that the costs could be much higher, and we believe Trek makes a big effort to keep costs down.

We realize the cost of Trek might be high for some families. If any parents are willing to help with some fund-raising opportunities, that would be great. We would love for some parents to say they will coordinate a garage sale or a coffee bar one morning at church or something similar. Two years ago we did a coffee bar for two Sundays and some students were able to lower the cost of their trip by around $100. A garage sale could raise even more. We know of some churches who raise enough money to substantially lower the price. We would like to do this. We just can't pull off a garage sale without parent/student help. (If a scholarship would be needed, let Monty know as soon as possible. We can work toward finding it once we know the need.) Also, if you need some extra time to pay the deposit, let Monty know. We'll work with you in every way possible.

Since these costs can add up quickly, we suggest talking to your parents about coming up with a plan of how you can pay for this trip. Extra jobs, Christmas or Birthday money, cutting down on money you already spend to eat out of go to the movies, etc., are ways you can come up with some extra money.

Sign-up details: The sign-up deadline is April 23. If we run out of spots for Trek, students will be able to attend based on when they signed up. To sign-up follow the link below and turn in your $100 deposit. The remaining $275 will be due by July 1.

Two things to keep in mind: 1) Trek does not give refunds, so any money we pay to them stays with them even if you need to back out. 2) Around June 1, we have to make our final group payment to Trek. Having said that, if you back out after June 1, the church loses all $375 we pay for your spot. If there is a chance you may need to back-out, let us know ahead of time. We will try to work something out, if possible, so that you and the church do not lose any money.