Challenger West Program (Amber)

Challenger West Program: Dubois, Wyoming

This program lived up to its name! It was most definitely a challenge for me!

 

As most of you know, Darren and I are very close. We do most things together. I was very surprised when they put us into groups, and Darren and I were separated. Looking back on this, I know it was good for me. I tend to depend on my husband's strength instead of developing my own.

After just a few days, my group became like family to me. They saw the real me, whether they liked it or not. There were many times they saw me scared but determined to overcome and grow. They also got to see my compassionate and protective side - which is way more pleasant to see!

We went through a whole host of challenges together. One of my group members was having a hard time with the altitude as we hiked up the mountain. This person needed someone to help them through this really hard task. I happily inserted myself into the role of helper. As the helper I tried to encourage, motivate and distract them from the task that was causing them discomfort. I loved being in this role. Throughout Challenger, I was able to take up this role a few different times.

One of the hardest tasks for me was helping lead our group on the Orienteering course. This task brought out my lack of self-confidence in my ability to lead a group, to read a topo map and to read a compass. I was really surprised with how unsure of my self I became. Especially because I know how to read a compass and a topo map. After some time, I became so discouraged by the differing opinions and the lack of support that I gave up. I handed off the lead to someone else. After some time I was asked to help lead the group again. I really wanted to say "no thanks, I'm happy just to follow along," but (with the program being called Challenger) I thought I should not take the easy way out. Even with the difficulties we had as a group we still beat the other team there.

The next activity brought out my fear of heights in a big way. As some of you know, I have been working hard for the past few years to overcome my fears. I can hike to high places and stand on the edge of things that are high up and not be afraid. But when you ask me to trust in a harness to keep me from plummeting to my death as I awkwardly try to use little nooks and crannies to make my way up a cliff face, fear and a bit of panic sets in really fast. Mr. Fenchel wasn't even done tying me in before tears of fear started to form in my eyes. We were all told that we had to try every activity and I'm a rule follower, so I was determined to try. We were also informed that the only way to get down was to reach the top or to fall trying. I was determined not to fall! As I started to make my way up the rock it became hard to breath and many tears were shed as I slowly inched my way to the top of the cliff. It took some time, but I did make it to the top. When I made it to the top, my friend and instructor was there to help me calm down and to walk me through the steps of how to safely get down. I was very thankful for his calm presence.

A few days later we did repelling. Surprisingly, I enjoyed that much more than I thought I would. The staff convinced us that Darren and I should do a tandem repel. The main problem I had with this is that my definition of slow is not the same as my husband's. So some fun banter ensued.

I loved being in the wilderness for a week with 19 wonderful people. The discussions and camaraderie were fantastic. The leadership training was so good for me. I will look back on this time fondly.

I love backpacking into beautiful and remote places. It is so refreshing to be so close to God's beautiful creation.

Darren and I were the first to leave Dubois, Wyoming. We had to leave right a way because Challenger ended on August 12 and our flight to Jordan left on August 14th. We made it home in time to finish our last-minute to-do list and then catch our flight.

It has been a whirlwind of a summer!

~Amber

(We didn't take many pictures at Challenger, so the pictures you see are from other participant's of the Challenger Program. Thanks everyone!)

Next Step in Our Whirlwind Summer Tour

The next step in our whirlwind summer tour was to go to Challenger II in Dubois, Wyoming.  The most direct route would take us through Yellowstone National Park, so we decided to leave a couple days early in order to spend some time there before proceeding on to Dubois.

We entered Yellowstone late Thursday morning and started exploring.  First, we saw a bunch of cauldrons, geysers, etc.

Obligatory Old Faithful photo

Later in the day, we saw some elk, lots of chipmunks, and a couple marmots.  Then, as we were on our way out of the park to find a place to sleep for the night (camping spots in the park being full and us sleeping in the back of the truck), we were stopped by a whole herd of bison crossing the road!

Blurry bison

The next morning was more bison, some pronghorn, and then a grizzly (from very far off).  Next came Yellowstone Falls, some more cauldrons, and Yellowstone Lake.

The next morning, we saw a grizzly bear from a lot closer (~100 yards).  Then we drove south, out of the park, and through the Tetons.  We were in Dubois just after sundown, ready to move onto our next adventure: Challenger!

Bear sighting!

Recap on our trip to Alaska.

Well, my intention was to post right after we got back from Alaska...  We can all see that that didn't happen. So sorry about that. Life got really crazy!

Let me give you a quick recap on Alaska. It was fantastic!! My favorite part was going whale watching in Juneau. Just a heads up, the excursions are really expensive. We saw several Humpback whales, a few Sea Lions and a Bald Eagle.  Did you know that you can not drive to Juneau? Well you can't, so don't try. The big thing in town this past summer was that they extended the road by a few miles and put in a new end of road sign. People took their families out for a picnic at the new end of road sign.

Skagway was a cool train town. We did two fun hikes and went around to all the little shops.

Glacier Bay was the most stunning of all of the places we went to. We did not get off the boat, but they did cruise up really close to a few glaciers. We were so close to one of them we could hear it grown as it moved! Some bits and pieces broke off while we were watching it, but nothing really big.

Ketchikan was a fun stop. We did a self-guided tour, which took us all around the old part of town. Fun fact: some roads in Ketchikan you can't drive on because they are stair cases. We also visited a totem park and that was beautiful and educational at the same time.

Victoria was our last stop. We had never been to Victoria, and we were blown away by how beautiful it is. We toured a castle and walked along the water. The sunset was beautiful.


We had a great time and enjoyed our first experience on a cruise ship. This trip was to celebrate our 5th anniversary. It is so hard for me to believe that we have been married for 5 years! We have had so many grand adventures and we look forward to many more.

Jordan post coming soon ...