Week 2: Mount Albert Edward

We all met after church on Sunday afternoon to pack our bags for our big hiking trip this week. 

We brought our backpacks, clothes, food, tents and all the necessary gear we would need for the next 3 days as we made our way up Mount Albert Edward. 

We packed our bags Sunday afternoon and gave everyone the rundown for what to expect when we set out early Tuesday morning. 

Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast and hit the road so we could get on the trail as soon as possible. 

To put what was ahead of us into perspective, the summit of Mount Albert Edward is 2,093 meters above sea level, where Denali (the highest peak in North America) is 6,190 meters above sea level, and Everest (the highest peak in the world) is 8,848 meters above sea level. Which means that what we were about to climb was approximately 1/3 the height of the highest peak in North America and just shy of 1/4 of the highest summit in the world. Needless to say, we were not setting out on just a walk in the park. 

When we arrived at the trailhead we unloaded the vans and got ready for our first day of hiking... in the rain, although this was no surprise to us and we were prepared for all the water the sky could throw at us. 

So we set out for the beginning of 3 days with nothing but the backpacks on our backs, and the summit on our minds. 

For the beginning of the trip, we separated into 2 campsites, at separate locations. Half of the group made their way to Kwai Lake while the other group made their way to Circlet Lake. Upon arriving at our campsites at the end of our first day of hiking we quickly set up camp, getting our tents up, and boiling water for hot food not wasting any time to get into our warm sleeping bags at the end of the day.

Waking up early the second day the group that camped at Kwai Lake quickly made their way to meet the rest of the group at Circlet Lake where we would all head up the mountain together.

With the rain behind us, the sun shining, the whole group together, our daypacks loaded, ready for another full day of hiking, only today was a little more vertical than the previous day.

Taking our time we made our way up the mountain, scrambling up some sections, and pushing through pain in our legs, the summit was in sight, yet it felt so far away.

Eventually, after working our way towards the summit, it got closer and closer, and every time we looked back the view was more and more beautiful.

After the final push up the ridge of the mountain, we made it to the summit!!!

The rewarding feeling of looking back from 2,000 meters up, at how far we had traveled, was such a surreal, rewarding feeling.

As per Kaléo program tradition, on the summit of the mountain, our leader Korey gave a talk and revealed the theme for the year to everyone. This year's theme is "The Way of Jesus" which is rooted in John 13:34-35 and John 14:6, where Jesus talks about how his disciples should be identified by their love, and how he is "the way, the truth, and the life."

After taking a moment to pray over the coming months we began our descent back down the mountain. 

After a hard day of hiking, we safely made our way back to the campsites where we prepared food for the evening and entered into one of the best nights of sleep of our lives. 

Thursday morning we woke up and packed up our tents and hiked back to the parking lot where we loaded in the vans and made our way back to Qwanoes to get ready for Introduction to Spiritual Theology class starting Monday morning.

Continue to Pray For:

- Our students to be attentive for how God wants to work in their lives over the coming months

- Our theme "The Way of Jesus" that the reality of this would continue to sink deep into our student's hearts

- The students to continue to connect with one another and form relationships that can be open and honest with each other

Note:

Please feel free to follow along with what we are up to on our Instagram Page @kaleoprogram when you find us click on our "Mt. A. E." bubble to see more on this trip, and check back to get updates on upcoming trips.