Mountain Leadership Institute

Summit of Middle Sister. Academy Leadership Expedition 

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Student leaders from across the NPUC stepped way out of their comfort zones and developed a deeply connected community, dynamic new leadership strategies and had a lot of fun! We were privileged to summit Middle Sister under bluebird skies and then glissaded across the snow fields to our camp. On Saturday, we had guests; Annapurna Myrna and Gunther drop in for a presentation about living intentional lives and then reveled in a few hours of restful solo time as we processed where we were headed individually and as leaders.

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Student quote of the day, “For the first time in my life I realized that I am a leader. I have never believed that I was a leader until now. Now I am asking God what He is calling me to do.”

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On Sunday, we bade farewell to the mountains and moved to the high desert of Smith Rocks. We reveled in the fantastic climbing and the lack of other visitors. After two strong days climbing on Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed a campfire at Haystack Reservoir. On Wednesday, Jared gave us a visual glaciology education; Doni presented a class about body movement, anatomy and physiology and finally, Les offered several practical leadership strategies before we debriefed on the summit of “our” private” mountain.

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Personal note: I sensed an anticipation about returning to our families and friends in the valleys as we drove over the mountains to Portland. On the other hand, we lingered at the edge of the wilderness. There seemed to be an invitation calling us to remain just a little longer in this stunning gallery of God. We also experienced the warmth of a close and supportive community while we lived in the wilderness. Perhaps, as we turned down the noise of our lives for a few days, we were able to hear the whispering God speaking to us and through each other. In these rare moments, we felt the magnetic call of the Majestic. In each person on the expedition there were glints of the Divine that shone through. I saw God in the compassion, helpfulness and joy that flowed through this group. I consider it a great honor to be able to call BJ, Chris, Doni, Jared, Joni, Justin, Phillip, Shasten and Tad my friends. Stay Anchored. (more…)

MLI course to Smith Rocks is successful! The course sold out several weeks in advance and included students from a wide range of experience and backgrounds. View the slideshow.

Here are some views of our instructor training days at Ouray Ice Park.             

As we pursue a life of simplicity and the mission of caring for creation, here are some ways we can bring good cheer for the whole planet:

1. Consider LED Christmas lights that use 80% less energy than regular lights and last ten years or more.

2. Consider using reusable gift bags as opposed to single-use wrapping paper.

3. Personalize your cards by creating your own from recycled paper or from what you received last year. You can also use cards made from recycled paper or send e-cards.

4. Find a Christmas tree that can be planted afterward or be sure to recycle it.

5. Lighten your travels and offset your carbon footprint. If you must travel, neutralize your emissions by purchasing carbon offsets at carbonfund.org or terrapass.com.

6. Use sustainable cups and dinnerware. Not only is it a lot more classy, but hey, why be wasteful anyway?

7. Make recycling bins available at all of your parties. This not only saves you the work of sorting recyclables from the trash later, but it also helps guests realize a more sustainable method.

8. Use a reusable canvas bags when you shop. How many bags do you want in your house anyway?

9. Consider buying local and organic food this year. The Nature Conservancy claims that 96 billion pounds of food are discarded each year. Consider a theology of “enough” and not of “gluttony!”

10. Personalize your holiday decorations and create a family tradition. Try stringing cranberries and popcorn to decorate your tree, handrails, or fireplace mantel. You can also use the trimming from your tree to decorate your house. Try using corn, pine cones, leaves, and gourds for your Thanksgiving table display.

11. If you really want to be daring, try giving more “Personal time” gifts this year. Really, do you need some more sweaters that will sit under the bed until you finally give them away? Try giving coupons for camping trips, picnics, or give an MLI course as a gift for your deserving son or daughter.

Let this be a holiday of simplicity!

Thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Climb Max Mountaineering, we were invited to the Smith Rocks Detour in September. The Detour is a climbing event that includes bouldering, slackline, and dyno competions. Also at this weekend event was the Reel Rock Film Tour which was shown on Saturday night. Members of MLI helped The Access Fund haul rocks for trail building that will take place in the spring.

August

MLI had a fantastic time taking the elementary students from Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) on a rock climbing trip. For many of the students, it was the first time they had ever been rock climbing. We had a group of 10 and spent time on routes of various levels having a great time. NAYA is a really fun organization to work with and we really appreciate the fantastic mission they have “…to enhance the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education.”

For more information check out their website at: “

Check out some photos from our Oregon Cascades Course…

Follow this link to a slide show of more pictures of this course.

*pictures used with student’s permission

Our course to the Oregon Cascades this summer was a life-changing experience for the students. Our expedition began in a classroom where we learned about rationing and packing our backpacks. We then drove down to Devil’s Lake and hiked in about two miles to our first base camp. For most of the students, this was the first backpacking experience they had ever had. The group was tired yet they learned how to cook a solid supper, put up their tents, purify water and dispose of waste properly.

On the second day we had a couple of classes on leadership and assigned two students as leaders of the day (LOD). These LODs were in charge of departures, leading their group to the destination for the night and scheduling breaks along the trail. We broke up into two smaller hiking groups (each with a LOD) and hiked for 6 miles to our advanced base camp at the base of the Northwest face of South Sister. There we had a sunset worship and held our first feedback session for our LODs.

We spent time at this camp learning snow travel techniques like plunge stepping, hand lines, self-arrests and self-belays. From camp we left early for a summit bid the following morning. The LODs took us on a half-mile loop right back to our camp as we began. In doing so they realized that they were actually in charge and that the instructors would step in all safety issues, but that they were responsible for finding the way–a surprising moment for the group as they saw our tents again!

It was an absolutely beautiful day and after 4,000 vertical feet we stood together as a team on the summit. This was the first mountain most had climbed and the highest peak that any of the students had been on. It was an absolutely powerful transition in the mindset of the expedition. Comments overheard were: “I never knew I could accomplish something so hard,” “I felt like quitting down there, but I am so glad that I kept going, I have never seen anything so beautiful before in my life.”

We had some solo-time there on the summit where students recorded their thoughts and spent time journaling and soaking it all in. Then we enjoyed a scree glissade down to our base camp.

This was an absolutely transitional moment as it was on this day that we had summited the third highest peak in the state. We could see peaks in Washington, Oregon and California from this vantage point. The mood that evening was very fun as students glowed with the feeling of accomplishing something significant.

The following day, we hiked the 8+ miles out in record time. The students were strong, made no complaints and when we arrived at Devil’s lake they were ready for a refreshing bath!

We transitioned to Smith Rocks and had a fantastic time climbing and learning about creation, climbing and courageous leadership. Really strong feedback began to happen with students and instructors encouraging each other to strengthen roles as active followers and leaders. Here the group started to excel at being on time, traveling efficiently and safely and communicating openly with each other; apologizing when needed.

Two students approached Jared and I that evening and told us that they both had been changed by the trip. One student went on to say that prior to the trip she was not sure if she really wanted to go, but felt as though God was calling her to go. “Now I know why,” she said. “I feel so close to God and feel as though He is calling me to be a stronger leader in my community back home. I am glad that I listened to God. This has been an incredibly powerful experience.”

We had great climbing days at Smith and returned to Portland, refreshed and exhilarated. Thank all of you for your support in making this such a great trip! For those of you who donated time, expertise and money you made it possible for these students to experience this powerful journey.