Sometimes the most powerful lessons come when we step away from the noise of daily life and into God’s creation. This July, five of our middle school youth set out with two adult leaders for a week of backpacking in the mountains of Virginia through Wilderness Trail Backpacking & Adventure Ministry. They hiked miles of rugged trails, cooked simple meals over camp stoves, sang in the rain, and discovered the joy of leaning on one another. Read more about the transformative experience below.

Participants: Conner Markish, Aiden McCormick, Walker Hornthal, Kayla Randall, and Ellen Pass

Adults: Owen Pearson, Debbie Cox

Bible Verse: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2

Trails Hiked: Appalachian Trail, Virginia Highlands Horse Trail, Iron Mountain Trail

Notable Spots: Cherry Tree Trail, Straight Branch Trail, Scales, Pine Mountain

Mission Statement: To lead backpacking faith adventures that bring teens closer to God and to each other.

The Wilderness Trail Calling

We believe we are all called to a better life, which is a life that follows in the footsteps of Jesus. The wilderness gives us a natural environment to experience a better life. We believe that we cannot follow Jesus without others. There can be no unity, love, or joy when we try to live on our own. We believe that Jesus calls us into community with Him and with each other.  This faithful way of living begins by letting go of personal wants and worries, which then frees us to lose ourselves in the care of others. The more we expand our embrace to Jesus and others, the greater the life we will live! Venturing out into the wilderness allows us to focus intently on this rhythm of community and stirs in us a hopeful expectation that we can live the same way as we return home. 

Values of Wilderness Trail

Trust - We believe that when we trust in a strength that is not our own, and we cannot always feel, we are living into our true lives. We believe this trust cannot be obtained through thought but through action with Jesus. We believe that we have to continually push ourselves to the edge of our comfort zone to truly trust. Our faith begins in the places where we are being pushed to the end of our rope.

Servanthood - We believe that we constantly live into this trust by putting others ahead of ourselves. We believe that one of Jesus’ greatest callings for our lives is unconditional love for those around us. We believe that the only way for us to show this love is by humbling ourselves and becoming a servant leader to others. In this way, we follow in the footsteps of Christ. Our greatest impact to others is not through words, but through action. Love cannot be explained, but is lived. Through showing extravagant hospitality and love, God uses us to change our surroundings for the better.

The Wilderness - We believe that God calls us into the Wilderness, just as Jesus was.  Being in the wilderness enables us to focus on God’s presence and our relationships with others.  It has a way of stripping away the layers of our lives we don’t really need.  As the wilderness challenges us, it reveals who we really are and who God created us to be.  It reminds us that we are dependent on God and each other to truly live.

Body of Christ - We believe we are capable of a life of servanthood through the strength of the Body of Christ. We believe we are not meant to take on challenges alone or exist on our human island, but trust that our strength is in one another. We believe the greater the outreach to others, the greater our lives will be. Each member of the Body is important, and each has different gifts to share.

Joy in the moment - We believe in playing in the rain! We believe situations in life are not always desirable or good, but that God is always good. We believe joy is not dependent on circumstances, but is instead a choice.  We can choose to live fully into joy, at any moment, by forgetting ourselves and trusting in the love of God. We believe that real faith is what we live by, not the things we think or may say. We believe by living in the moment and in the will of God,  we are left with no time for disputing His plans. Saying YES to joy in the moment is our purpose every day. Through this, we find that joy is not merely an emotion, but a state of being. It’s in these moments that we live into the life we are called, the life we were made for, and the life Jesus taught us to live.

Radical Hospitality -  We believe we are called to actively welcome all people in as Jesus did, radically and unconditionally. In doing so, it shows others they are desired, needed, and not alone. We believe that radical hospitality is infectious and builds community. Everyone has a seat at the table.

Trip Highlights

Day One: We left Trinity’s parking lot at 10:00 am to begin our journey to Troutdale, VA, which is where the Wilderness Trail camp is located. We arrived that afternoon and gathered our supplies for the week. We ate at the camp before we hiked with backpacks to our first campsite. We set up tents and sleeping bags for the evening. Hiking begins the next day. 

Day Two: (6.5-mile hike) We get up at 6:30 a.m. every morning. We take tents and sleeping bags down every morning. We had Pop-Tarts, granola bars, grits, or oatmeal each morning. We put the water in the packets and drank from them. We hiked in the morning and stopped at a beautiful lunch spot. Then, hiked towards our next campsite for the evening. We had freeze-dried lasagna, which wasn’t bad.

Day Three: (6.6-mile hike) We woke up and began hiking on the Appalachian Trail. We hiked this beautiful trail and stopped for lunch at a picnic area along the horse trail. As we were sitting on the picnic table, we saw a bald eagle, a deer, and horses. The kids fed the horses peppermint. After lunch, we began our hike, and the sky opened up. We had to hike in the rain until we arrived at the campsite. It was a hard afternoon for our group. Everything was wet, and it was hard to get everything dry. We got tents up before it rained. That evening, we had summer sausage, macaroni and cheese. It was tasty! We went to bed. It rained most of the night.

Day Four: (10-mile hike) We woke up on our last day, and most of our stuff was soaked. We packed up and began our longest hike of the week. The kids didn’t complain and enjoyed what they accomplished. We ended up at our last campsite. That evening, Thompson (Wilderness Trail leader) and I footwashed every participant. Told participants their accomplishments and prayed over them. Our last meal at the campsite was lentils and summer sausage.

Day Five: We woke up and packed up. Another staff member picked us up to take us back to base camp. We all had a shower after four days—one of the best showers I have ever had. We hung out on the rocking chairs on the porch, playing games like 4 square, basketball, and wiffle ball. We created a skit, talked about what we learned that week, and sang songs. That evening, we hiked up to the top of the property, where there was a cross. We knelt in front of it and gave each other communion. We shared our highs and lows from the week with each other. The camp called it “little foxes and holy grounds.” We slept our last night in an open cabin. Woke up the next morning and left for North Carolina.

Reflections from the Trail

Debbie Cox (Leader)

"I was wondering what I was getting myself into when I signed up for the Wilderness Trail in January. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have some blisters, scratches, and bruises on one knee, where I fell. I was proud of myself and the kids for pushing themself to accomplish the miles of hiking. The beauty of our hikes was amazing. I felt God’s presence hiking, the scenery, and the kindness shown to each other. This was a backpacking ministry that was created by Rob Blackburn, who was a longtime priest at Central Methodist. Our junior counselor was Rob Blackburn’s granddaughter. We felt special that we had her for the week. This trip was rewarding, and so happy I had this experience with my middle school youth. Thanks for your support and prayers, Trinity!"

Aiden McCormick

"The Wilderness Trail was an amazing experience; it was unique in a lot of ways, and I had a really good time. The counselors were very nice and respectful, and they made sure we had all of our needs. The first day we got there, we got everything ready for the trail, ate dinner, and left. We didn't really walk at all that night; the campsite was right next to where we got dropped off. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all full of walking and excitement. Wednesday was my favorite day because it rained a lot and we all got soaked. It was just enjoyable walking all together and singing our way up the mountain, and not noticing all the pain in our legs. The food on the trail was amazing. We had something new every night, like mac-n-cheese and summer sausage, which was my favorite. On Friday, we would hike about 1 mile and get to a stop where the van would pick us up, and we would go back to the property. Friday was just a very electric day, everybody was so pumped and we had skits, wiffleball game, dances, and most importantly SHOWERS ←— (felt amazing). The food was amazing, no doubt about it. We did chapel one last time before we left, where we all walked up to a cross, took communion, and got in our groups to say prayers for each other. It was sad to leave on Saturday because it was such a fun trip, and I hope one day I will do it again."

Connor Markish

"The backpacking trip was amazing. It was painful but worth it. We saw amazing scenery, made new friends, and learned how to set up tents and more. It felt amazing getting to know people whom I hadn’t known before, and sharing funny moments with them was awesome too. I would do it again if I could, and the first day there, I was anxious; I didn’t know the people around me, but then on the last day, I wanted to stay and hang out with them longer. My favorite part of the trip was hanging out at the campfire, where we talked about our little foxes (things that bothered us from the day) and our holy grounds (things that you liked or moments that felt holy from the day). That’s pretty much everything I have to say about the trip."

Ellen Pass

The wilderness trail was a very fun and meaningful experience. When I was told that my dad went on the wilderness trail when he was my age, I was eager to walk where my dad once was. We saw some of the most beautiful sites ever, from overlooking the mountains to seeing horses in a valley. The environment was so encouraging, peaceful, and overall enjoyable. In over twenty-three miles, the most meaningful moment was when we made it to the finish, and the feeling of accomplishment rushed over me, because even though it may have been hard, we pushed through it and kept going. In conclusion, it was an unforgettable experience that I will continue to do for as long as I can, just like my dad.

Christy Randall (mother of Kayla Randall)

"It’s a bit of a leap of faith to send your 12-year-old daughter into the wilderness. Her backpacking naivety, our relative newness to Trinity, and the Texas floods all loomed in my mind. But the majesty of God’s creation, the care of Debbie and the staff, and her openness to the journey all yielded the fruit in Kayla’s life. For several days, she regaled us with silly stories on the virtues of trash bags and Forced Family Fun time. She shared her awe and gratitude for the incredible beauty of the mountains and the horses they met along the way (But don’t wear your backpack around them…the horses will spook!). And she shared tender moments about little foxes that steal our gratitude and moments of grace in each day. She came back with an outer strength from carrying a heavy pack 25 miles through the mountains. But even more, it was her inner strength that showed most. She’s stronger in her relationships, more confident in herself, and more open to Jesus in her spirit. I am so grateful Kayla had the opportunity to venture into the wilderness. What began with a little fear and trembling returned with joy!"