The Bridge – 2008

The Bridge.

The men that went on Peak Challenge 2008 will never forget it. It is etched into our souls what God did there for so many men as they made their way back to the trailhead after summiting two 14,000 foot peaks – Torreys Peak and Grays Peak.

6:00 am – We finally arrive at the trailhead after riding three long miles on a service road that had not been serviced in years! Some of the ruts in the road were two to three feet deep and it took a skilled driver to manuever around them and not bottom out the SUV or truck. Many guys had to ride in the beds of trucks, as cars simply could not make this journey.

A beautiful morning in an amazing canyon with a trail pointing us across a bridge and over the horizon to the next challenge. The bridge crossed over the Stevens Gulch Creek and took us into an incredible bowl that included the snow capped peaks that we had set out to hike.

Six hours later, most men had made it back to the trailhead. For those that arrived first, we made a decision that as a group, we would not leave for camp until every man was down. It was a “no man left behind” motto. So we had planned accordingly and pulled our folding camp chairs, cracked open a beer and sat at the foot of the bridge, waiting for men to arrive.

What God did that afternoon was nothing short of a miracle.

A simple act of cheering men on as they rounded the last bend and made their way over the bridge and to the finish turned into a very special moment in time.

For a man to see his brothers cheering him on after a grueling hike and to know that he had what it takes, that he had people watching his back and that he has significance was a powerful time. As men high fived, hugged and back slapped the returning hikers, God did something special in the hearts of the returnees and those that were cheering them on.

The testimonies that have come from this simple time have been amazing. Guys… strong men…. were deeply touched by the “crowd of witnesses” as we see in Hebrews 12:1-2. Many became emotional over the support and camraderie that they saw. For many, they had never had other men tell them that they “had what it takes”.

But it was not just our men. We cheered for other hikers on the trail that day as well and many had a happy but perplexed look on their face. “Who are you guys?” they asked. When we simply told them who we were and why we were cheering, the blessing on so many of these people was apparent. They too, whether they knew it or not, felt the presence of the Holy Spirit that day on the Stevens Gulch bridge.

A simple utterance of “The Bridge” among many brings back powerful memories even today.