Full Life Adventure Video

If you want to see a little taste of what a “Full Life Adventure” looks like, here is a video of the first couple of days of a trip. I’ll get the next video up as soon as I can finish it. Enjoy!

-Eddie Boyer

I don't usually feature other writers on this page...but my wife wrote a beautiful piece talking about where we are on our current adventure, and what God has in mind for us. I pray this is helpful. I request prayers for us. Most of all I pray that we are continually shaped and molded by God as we journey with him. 

-Eddie

This is just the beginning…

We are in the waiting…the hard and silent wait. The long, long months (even years) after hearing
the promise of the Lord over our future. Yet, we are now having to walk through the desert to get
there, or sometimes stay exactly where we are (which can be even more difficult). Like Abram and
Sarai being called to a new land, to the unknown, into the trust. To trust the Lord with all we have. To fully rely on His plan and not our own. To start walking in faith, into the wilderness and entwining our future in the spoken promise of our God.

The summer of 1996, I was facing brave. Me, the shy girl, the girl that didn’t really feel like she belonged but desperately wanted to, signed up for her youth group wilderness trek trip. Going with a mostly seasoned and experienced group of adults and other teens, off into the Colorado Rockies to climb Mt. Elbert, the tallest in the state. Fear and doubt surged repeatedly through my entire being as I, the freshman never been in snow Texan, prepared for the journey. I carried my 40ish lb. pack up the rocky soil path. At that time, it was the most challenging, uncomfortable, longest, coldest week of my life. The highlight was standing on a summit at an elevation of 14,433 ft… and experiencing my first snowfall all on my 16th birthday. I came back to Texas  with a blistered sun burned chin and a feeling that I checked mountain climbing permanently off my bucket list.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2002, as a newly wed wife of a youth minister, accepted the challenge to once again head to the mountains. Older and slightly more optimistic about this trek, I prepared to hopefully impress my new outdoor loving husband. Going more prepared, more knowledgeable, more excited than 6 years earlier we journeyed once again up the well worn path of Mt. Elbert. This climb was still challenging but not nearly what I remembered or feared. I’m sure I had extra endurance  and drive with the love of my life next to me. Standing again on the summit, overlooking the valley below began a surge of love for this physical, spiritual challenge.

Summer of 2013, my first time back in the mountains after years of school, work and raising two babies into kids old enough for me to leave behind for a week. I had prepared the whole previous year for this experience. Running, working out, buying better gear…here I was hopeful to take on a
new mountain. Once again, with my husband by my side and this time dragging some dear friends with us, we took a group of teenagers up Mt. Tabeguache (14,162 ft.). The crew, the teenagers, the
friends all helped shape this trip as an amazing and
memorable trip. Yeah, my boots rubbed my heels off. Yes, me and my favorite high schooler had to boulder our way down by ourselves trying to catch up to one of our guides. Yes, I ended up getting a parasite when I got home and spent a day in the emergency room. Yet, the fire was lit. I was desperate for another trail and another summit.

Back again June of 2014 with a adult group of our own. Leading them up Mt. Blanca (14,351 ft.),which has one of the longest, rockiest, hottest hikes to base camp. With a great group and a  gorgeous valley to set up camp in we gathered around camp fires, told stories, laughed and studied the word under a star lit sky. I didn’t  summit this mountain (due to two not feeling well-I volunteered to stay behind). However, I did experience the beauty of this scenery by hiking around and meeting an all too friendly marmot and exploring an old decaying mountain cabin. Allowing, my soul to soak in the beauty of God’s fingerprints all around me. Feeling the song “Oh, how He loves me”, singing it’s way through my veins. Desiring to take in and memorize every angle of that high altitude clear watered lake and every peak that surrounds it.

Seeing our adults off on their way back to Houston, Eddie and I stayed to wait on our church youth group to make their way up a few days later. While we waited we day hiked Mt. Yale (14,200 ft.). I would of never thought I would day hike a 14er. Such an impossible idea to this flat-landers brain. We managed however, to conquer it and make it back down in time for dinner. We laughed, we talked, we took A LOT of pictures, and opened our hearts to the birth of a dream of being in the mountains more than just in the summer time. As we hiked Mt. Democrat (14,154 ft.) with our youth group that next week; God etched a dream on our hearts that we could not ignore. A dream of the mountains being our Promised Land but we had no idea how God expected us to get there. We came back from that trip whispering prayers and dreaming dreams of what may be in our near (or not so near) future. And wondering what is God up to? With our hearts jumping in with full commitment and minds whirling with possibilities.


The following summer of 2015, we once again had an adult group put together. Eddie went ahead to help lead our church youth group, so we were meeting him up there. Our adult group this time is 14 strong. A mix of married and singles, a mix of twenty somethings and up to the prime of life forties. All desperate to hear and see God is a whole new light. All braving the unexplored and conquering fears and doubts with every step. We began up Mt. Belford (14,203 ft.) singing and talking excitedly. This is one of the prettiest trails I’ve ever seen. Following a mountain stream with various falls, surges and dams. Trees towered overhead as we rounded narrow bends along the cliff trail. We walked through glorious valley’s tearing off our jackets and long sleeves as the sun warmed us. We settled into our campsites in gracious unity. Working together gathering water and starting meals. This group had my heart and I knew the Lord was among us and the Spirit was going to show up in a powerful way. Our wet and wild summit was quite the adventure, pushing many beyond limits. Wearing them down physically and allowing sole reliance on the Lord. Many events unfolded as Eddie and I had to hustle a couple off the mountain that same day, to send them home for a family emergency. But as I sit here and reflect on that week, I realize how at comfortable I felt, how I felt at home.

Back in Houston, we sold our home and readied ourselves to head to the hills…but God had a different timeline in mind. We stayed with friends and are now in an apartment, while spending lots of time in prayer for our church and for our future. We decided to get incorporated and through that process officially birthed Full Life Adventures. Now the task of completing the paperwork to submit to be a Non-profit and launch a fundraising campaign to buy the promised land in Colorado. Believing still, the promise spoken by our God. We are waiting. Waiting on Him to continue to guide us, whether by burning bush, pillar of fire or still small voice into this new endeavor. Like, Abram and Sarai, feeling that our age may be working against us. That we need to hurry this process along but knowing His timing is always best. Then also, are we to laugh at the thought that we may be called into the desert (Abilene, TX) to pursue Eddie’s desire to finish a Marriage & Family Therapy degree? Are we to take two more years to have all the many, many pieces fall into place? We know and trust the big picture that God put on our hearts…we know that had led and highlighted every step we have taken. That just like hiking the mountains the trail may be long, and tedious at times, that the summit will still be there. Waiting for us, beckoning us to keep pressing in and trusting our Lord into the promise. That this is just the beginning…
-Megan

A Summer's Journey- P1

I'm sitting in my office trying to get back into the swing of church life and work. It's been a long journey this summer. From mid May to early August I logged over 11,000 travel miles. Plus hiking, camping, chasing kids, and many other activities.  It's been full.

I'm going to try to keep up with giving you a little taste of my adventures. If you want to see my travels in picture form check out my Instagram feed (hiker_ed). I'll try to post some on here, but you'll get a better feel for it on there.

Here are a few just to get you started from the Appellation Trail

 

A few stories to come later!

The Trek Adventure

My last trip with our youth up on a mountain was in the summer of '07. We had a rough trip that year, a long summit (Princeton isn't one of the easier mountains), multiple trips to the emergency room (yes they recognized us), and it was my first major trip away after Claire was born.

This would certainly be a different trip. We had a smaller group of youth with a large number of adults for a trip like this. We decided not to do white water rafting and instead went to the Great Sand Dunes NP. It was tremendous! Extreme heat and overall exhaustion kept us from spending a ton of time, but what a great experience.

Then we drove to the TEAM Ascend property. Sitting right at the base of Mt. Elbert the highest in Colorado, it is a beautiful setting to begin the week and get focused on who Christ is and why we are there to climb a mountain. 

Our focus this week was on the life of Peter. Two main scriptures stood out to me, and I have continued to ponder them over the last two weeks.

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my sheep." (John 21:15-17)

Much time has been spent and will be spent explaining each of these verses.  You can think on them and pray about them for a very long time before you might begin to get it.  But I ask this question:

"What will you do about them?"

If you really love Him, there is action involved.  Here are the verbs involved: deny, take up, follow, lose, save, love, feed, take care. When we begin to see our faith in these terms we can't help but to act on them.  It seems like James had something to say about faith and works...

Anyway, it was an incredible trip with lots of great discussion, laughs and fun. Looking forward to more time with these incredible people.

 

Mt. Whitney Adventure Day 5: Down and Down More

Something that most people don't consider when doing an outdoor adventure, or in life for that matter, is a simple rule of physics: what goes up must come down.  When you are on the top of the lower 49 states, it is a long way down!

Once I finally reached the peak of Mt. Whitney and was greeted by the rest of the team, the two guides had a question for me: How do you feel on a scale of 1-10? I told them I was about a 9, slight altitude headache but otherwise I felt great.  They relied with an affirmative "great" and proceeded to tell me to eat a quick lunch and get some pictures because they were sending me down with Group 1 who had been on the peak for almost and hour and a half.  So after a little fun, some pictures and a quick lunch I was headed back down off the summit.

Going down always presents itself with a new set of problems. Stability is completely different and your quads and knees are already tired. They put me second on the line right behind Jon Dorn the editor for Backpacker magazine with Nick and Anthony right behind me, and our guide Thomas at the back as the anchor. Now I had no trouble keeping up with the scrambling or the rappelling, but then we made it to the snow gulley. The first decision here was not to put our crampons back on. No big deal I'm decent on snow and ice. But there was one minor complication: Jon is 6'6" or more & and I am not!

So with the snow melting it was common to "post-hole" or for your leg to go into the snow all the way up to your waist if you step wrong. With Jon's height he would take a step down hill and it would pull me forward. I certainly couldn't step where he was stepping- my legs just weren't long enough. I can't imagine how funny it must have looked to the three guys behind me as Jon and I did a herky-jerky dance down the 45% grade.

We waited down at camp for the other team to arrive and we all rejoiced together and sat around sharing snacks and talking about the climb. Dinner was made and another early night in the tents with everyone feeling exhausted and anxious about the hike down the next day.

Thursday we woke up, packed up and headed down hill. We were moving quickly enough that we met the next team still at low camp. We hung out for a bit and told some stories. Pete Athens was on this crew, he has summited Everest 8 times, two without the aide of oxygen. We took lots of pictures and then the packs were back on and we headed down the trail.

Finally back at the Whitney Portal we were excited to have our packs off and boots off. We collected some T-shirts and other items to remember our climb and headed to a great lunch at a local Lone Pine cafe.

I had a wonderful crew that week and made some great new friends.  It's amazing how much you can get to know some people over the course of just a couple of days.  But knowing that we raised money that will influence the lives of young people may be the greatest memory we take away.  Just as our lives were forever changed by sharing a week together hiking, I pray that the lives of young people all across the country will be similarly changed. It never ceases to amaze me, how much life perspective changes when we get outside of our norm and comfort zone.

But my journey wasn't over...Matthew, Jeremy, and I were headed to the Grand Canyon on the way home!

Mt. Whitney Adventure Part 4: Preparation & The Summit

What most people, me included until a couple of years ago, don't realize there are multiple trails to the peak. The main trail know as the "Mt Whitney trail" is an 11 mile (each direction) strenuous but non-technical trail. There are other routes however and the Mountaineers Route was the one picked for our teams.  This trail unlike most of the other mountain trails or peaks that I have hiked, requires snow, crampon, ice axe, harnesses, ropes, and at certain times of the year an ascender along with some ice work.  This is actually one of the reasons I wanted on this trip, I knew I would gain some valuable skills and experience.

After we reached high camp on the second day and had some time to unwind a bit, we began our summit training.  This included work with the ice crampons, ice axes and harnesses.  We learned walking techniques and how to use the ice axe.  After some brief explanation we had to demonstrate and work on our "self-arrest" techniques.  It was fun to get in the snow a bit and have a little idea of what the next day's requirements would be.

We woke up early the next morning around 3 am. I was still getting my clothing layers on when I heard Tristan (one of the guide) ask what I wanted for a warm drink that morning. Feeling completely spoiled by someone else making my coffee, I packed up and prepared for the day ahead. Obviously they wanted to get an early start, knowing that a previous group had taken over 14 hours to complete their day.

Tammy woke up not feeling well and it was quickly determined that she needed to stay behind at high camp with Chad. Now 2 of the crew would not make the summit that day and we hadn't even left camp yet. We started off into the snow and hiked for around 20 minutes. I was feeling pretty good, no real sign of altitude sickness or anything. We made a stop and everyone put on their ice crampons and began to be attached to the rope and our group. My group was lead by Tristan and included Chris and Wes. Our first obstacle is known as "the wall" which we handled with no problem, and proceeded on to just above Iceberg Lake.

















Next up was the snow and ice gully, which is about 1300 vertical feet at about 45 decrees. As we mad our way slowly up this grate, Chris began to get sicker and sicker.  Tristan yelled up to Forest, who was guiding the 2nd group, the one closest to us, to stop at the notch and wait for us.  We made it up about 2/3 of the way and Chris could go no further.  He had spent too much energy trying to overcome his sickness and if he continued it would be a difficult descent.



We got him situated and took off our crampons. Tristan lead Wes and I up to group 2 who were patently waiting for us at the notch.  We joined their line and turned to stare at the final approach, a class 3 section of rock just below the summit.  This was no doubt my favorite part, and I couldn't help but to joke and encourage a couple of the team who were scared of heights.

And then we we greeted at the top...and wow what a view.  This one obviously had a little more meaning than some of the rest but it really was a spectacular and beautiful view. We had made it. There were hugs, phone calls and lots of pictures.  I am so thankful for all who helped me to get there in so many ways.  But that isn't the end of the story...we still had to get down!

 The final ascent...that's me on the very bottom of the rope, last on the line.

Mt. Whitney Adventure Part 3: The Hike

I always get a little nervous going to meet a new group of people. There is an uneasiness to it all, but there is also an excitement of the unexpected.  The Team 4 crew meet at a local cafe in Lone Pine, CA for breakfast. It's hard to know how much or how little to eat on a morning like this.  You don't want to start the trail hungry, but you don't want to feel stuffed either. Everyone was eating a hearty meal, except the girls who seemed content to eat mostly fruit.  As we finished up it was time for gear check across the street.

Everyone brought their gear and laid it out on a sidewalk for the guides (Forest & Thomas) to go through and see what we really need as opposed to what we thought we needed.  You begin to get a sense of peoples personalities through this process.  I tend to think I need more than I really do, so this was a tough process for me. I began to hand over pieces of equipment and clothes to Jeremy and Matthew to put back in the car.  Knowing we would carry everything we need for the next 4 days should make it easier to let go, but there is always this nagging feeling of "I might need that."

The was a little bit of group gear and food to distribute between all of us and I grabbed a large bag of vegetables and a canister of fuel. Then came the unenviable task of packing it all back up.  One of the guys Chris had a Jeep Unlimited and offered that I could catch a ride with him up to the trail head. I'll always choose the Jeep if given the choice. I threw my pack in and filled up my water bottles.  Then said goodbye to Jeremy & Matthew so they could begin their next phase of their journey (they had to suffer through seeing the great Sequoya trees, Yosemite NP, and Mammoth Lake).

Everyone one loaded up and we took off to the Mt. Whitney Portal.  There was a scale there at the trail head and mine weighed in at only 45lbs. I say only because I have had 55lb packs on previous mountain trips, but we didn't have the weight of tents or stoves, which were already on the mountain.

There is something beautiful about getting on the trail, feeling the burn of the thighs, getting a feel for everyone's hiking speed, and realizing that for the next 3 and a half days this would be the norm.  Team 4 was a great group of people with some real characters among us.  Many were quiet on the trail and I naturally assumed my regular semi-chatty mode, trying to learn a little more about everyone along the way.

That evening we had a great time as the guide made dinner and we all felt a little spoiled. We hung out on the rock overlooking Lower Boy Scout Lake (around 10,300 ft), with Mt. Whitney towering overhead. Everyone turned in early to get some good rest before day 2. Many of us woke before the guides did and I filled my time with a little "quiet time" on a huge rock next to my tent.  We ate breakfast and prepared for our next day of hiking.

Day 2 brought a new set of challenges and excitement. We had to traverse some snow and the trail was obviously becoming more steep. We met up with Team three and they were coming down from high camp. It was fun hearing the adventures and stories of their summit climb, which would be the next day for us.  Jon Dorn (editor of Backpacker magazine) and our third guide (Tristan) joined us at this point as well. We made the hike up to high camp (around 12,200 ft) at reasonable hour and waited for our training and dinner.

The team was coming together.  One of the guys had been struggling these first two days. He was recovering from strep throat the week before, and the determination was made that he would not attempt the summit.  We were down to 9 of us plus Jon and the guides.  We enjoyed the afternoon sun, wondering what was in store for us over the next 24hrs.

Mt. Whitney Adventure Part 2: Lows & Highs

After telling our gracious Flagstaff host Crystal, thank you for the great time at Fossil creek, we headed west. And then we went west some more.  Although this is not the most interesting drive there are a few great places along the way. We had the time so we decided to stop, look, take some pictures and have a little fun.

First we came to the spectacular Hoover Dam.  My first memories of this place are from way back in Jr. High, but more recently I was there in 2008 when my band was on its way to Spirit West Coast to play some shows. They have since rerouted the interstate so that you are not "forced" to go over the dam, but instead now you have to take a side route down to it.  It really is a great engineering feet, so large that you can't really wrap your brain around it. Just as unbelievable is the water table line way above where the water currently sits in Lake Mead.  We parked, walked around and took some pictures.  Satisfied with the time spent we moved on down the road.

Next stop was Las Vegas.  Slightly out of our way, but always an interesting place to stop.  From that trip in '08 there is a little tradition of eating at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Nothing exciting, other than trying not to buy a shirt or a hat while there. We enjoyed our lunch and kept moving.

Between Las Vegas and Mt. Whitney is Death Valley National Park.  Here you plunge into the desert and along with it the heat.  We saw temperatures over 100 decrees that afternoon. It really is hard to believe that you go more than 200 foot below sea level there.  The landscape is like no other place I have ever been.  I'm not sure I would want to spend large amounts of time there, but it is always interesting to go through it. Maybe more significant to be at the lowest point in the US knowing that in just a couple of days I would be at the highest point in the continental US, a 14,700 ft difference.

From there we drove toward Lone Pine, California, nestled at the feet of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lone Pine is a quaint little town with a long history in Hollywood most notably in the Western genre.  We checked into our hotel and drove down the main drag in search of food. I love eating at local restaurants. They always have a quality that can't be achieved at a chain. We ate really well, and with our bellies full returned to the hotel. 

I knew I needed to repack a few items to prepare for the next day. I'm sure part of it was nerves, but it took me about 2 hours to sort through it all and determine what I actually wanted and needed on the trail with me the next day. The anxiety of meeting new people, hiking an unknown mountain, and thoughts about the rest of the week made for a restless night of sleep. 

In the morning we awoke, packed up and headed to breakfast to meet up with my crew. Mt. Whitney was looming in the background, inviting us upon it, challenging us to climb.

  
Isaiah 52:7
"How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news"

From Sea Level to 14,508 feet- Part 1

I live in north Houston elevation around 220 ft above sea level.  I have to travel 5-6 hours to hit any kind of "altitude" training, and more like 12 for anything worthy of "climbing".  So I have a lot of people asking me how I prepared for my Mt. Whitney climb, the highest peak in the lower 49 states (outside of Alaska).

Over the next few days I'll give you some of my training and some of my trip...interspersed a bit so you don't get overloaded with training advise or with "boring stories" that no one cares about except me.

Here's your first training segment:
I already had a base line of fitness, I was working out 2-3 times per week.  Simple jog for a warm up and 7-8 strength training and ab exercises. Nothing super vigorous, just maintenance.  So keep that in mind as I explain what I began in January to prepare for this trip.

1) I knew I had around 90 days (closer to 15 weeks) before I left for the adventure. That gave me just the right amount to start a cycle of P90x.  I have modified P90x in order to fit it into a 5 days a week schedule rather than a full 7 days.  I find that I do better if I have a weekend off from it.  We also invited a couple of friends to join us every evening.  That helped keep all of us accountable.  They thought we were expecting them to come over, and we knew they would come knocking on the door, so it kept all of us coming back.

2) I intensified my morning workouts at the gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. I know that means some days I was getting two workouts in a day, but lets be honest, a good hiking trip is in the 4-8 hour range.  Just working out for 45 minutes wasn't going to cut it.  In my work out I always start with a run to get my body pumping blood to all of the extremities.  Then I hit the weights for about an hour.  More specifics on this in a later post.

3) Running...not my favorite or most others, but very necessary.  I began with a simple mile run and increased from there.  Early on I could do this along with my workout, but as the miles increased I had to add specific running days.  My goal was to add about 1/2 mile each week, culminating at around 8 miles.  Again I'll give more specifics later but it was an important piece of the training.

Here's a little taste of what I was able to accomplish...through dedication and a discipline.

Summit For Someone

Many of you know my love for hiking and the outdoors. This is a love that was fostered as a youth in Missouri, but never realized until later in life. As a Youth Minister I had the pleasure of leading youth on 7 “Trek” trips. One was to the Appalachian Trail in northern Georgia, a beautiful hike in its own right. Then on 6 different trips to Colorado to hike 14,000 ft. mountains, something happened. Something was awakened. I have continued my quest of hiking, even as I stepped out of Youth ministry. Over the last few years I have hiked 3 more 14ers in Colorado plus I have been on the peak of 7 other state high points including Guadeloupe Peak in Texas at 8749 ft. These trips have been a meaningful and spiritual rejuvenating adventure for me. More importantly I have seen the impact of the time in the mountains on the teens of my church and on the friends and adults that joined us on these climbs. This summer while reading my Backpacker magazine I noticed a contest to join a group to climb Mt. Whitney in California. I submitted my info and an essay and anxiously waited for a response. Well, I made the trip! In April I will travel to California with a friend or two and they will drop me off at Mt. Whitney to experience a whole different kind of climb, including snow shoes and ice crampons. The Mt. Whitney climb is a joint adventure with Backpacker Magazine in support of Big City Mountaineers. Big City Mountaineers specialize in taking troubled urban teens into the mountains to teach life skills and encourage personal growth. This is accomplished through the mentoring relationships along the way. My trip to Mt. Whitney is to provide funds for these teens to attend these programs next summer. I will be “summiting for someone” that needs a helping hand out of the world they know, and into the possibilities that could be ahead of them. This is where you come in to help. I have a goal of raising $4,000 to participate in this climb, of which I have already raised over $3300. This money does not go to me or to the guides that will help us accomplish our summit. All of the money goes to these troubled teens participation in Big City Mountaineers, again none of it goes to my trip. Here is how you can help. Please consider donating on my behalf to Big City Mountaineers. The simplest way to do so is by going to www.summitforsomeone.org/donate find my name on the list and clicking on it. Then find the donate button and enter the amount and information. You will receive an email with your tax deduction information. For Checks please follow these instructions: Make payable to Big City Mountaineers. In the memo line of the check write "SFS-[Eddie Boyer]. Mail donation checks to: Big City Mountaineers Attn: Summit for Someone 710 10th St. Suite 120 Golden, CO 80401 Thank you for helping me to achieve my Summit For Someone! Eddie Boyer 1 Kings 19:11-12 ""The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."