Climbing the Mountains of Life

From the streets of Buffalo to the shores of Lake Placid to the top of Whiteface Mountain, YWAP helps young people Climb the Mountains of Life.

There were 5 young people stuffed into the back of a mini van with all of their high adventure gear. The 2  fearless leaders (who had never tipped a canoe before) sat in the front seats. Behind our van was a trailer with 3 canoes. In front of us lay approximately 350 miles of driving, 3.5 miles of paddling and 3 miles of climbing (and a few miles of looking for firewood!) Excitement was in the air (along with a few other smells.)

Some of the young guys were born in America and some were born in Africa. All of them were about to be reborn into a new experience. None of them had ever been in a canoe before much less trekked up a mountain. They were all folks from the flatland of Buffalo eager for some adventure. When we arrived at the dock, they said they had to change clothes. When I told them that all you needed were shorts and life jackets, they said "No! We need our survivor gear!" They went into the restroom and came out looking like they were ready for some eccentric TV show about survivors in the badlands!
 

The Survivor Crew on the Lake Placid Dock
getting ready to cast off.

Whiteface Mountain from Lake Placid.

After a pretty easy canoe ride accompanied by beautiful weather, our survivor flotilla arrived at Whiteface Landing. Here we pitched tents and went over safety procedures. We did not need Bear Canisters for this section of the Adirondacks so we could easily store our food in tubs. Campfires were allowed and we looked forward to dancing flames under the stars. After a team meeting we gathered firewood.

Daryl Boss from Xertion Youth leads the young Survivor Crew in a lesson about how to climb the mountains of life.

Daryl and I slept under the stars while the survivor crew snored unceasingly in the safety of their tent. In the morning after breakfast and prayer, we headed up the mountain. The trail was a relatively easy walk in the woods for the first several miles until we started to climb up onto the rock face. The views of Lake Placid and the surrounding areas were gorgeous. The top of Whiteface was crowded as there is a tourist road for non survivor type folks.

Buffalo doesn't look like this!

Almost on the summit.                

The happy Survivor Crew are now official Peak Baggers!

Daryl and I went out fishing while the guys stayed in shore to explore. We did not catch anything and somehow manged to capsize our canoe. I did take a picture of my fishing pole in front of the canoe and I told the Survivor Crew that it was a UFO! When we got back to shore they told us that they had seen a bear. I saw a UFO and they saw a bear and that made for some very entertaining campfire stories.

A UFO flying in front of our canoe!

 The guys asked about God. We talked about creation, evolution and execution. We talked about the Roman form of execution called crucifixion. They wanted to know about the end of the world. Nobody knows when that will happen but we should be ready every minute. The deep woods is a great place for deep conversations.

 The trip back across Lake Placid was not easy. We met a rain storm head on and one of the canoes capsized. A boat came over to lend a hand and one of the guys said a lady thought he was a dolphin. Yeah, that's what a Survivor Crew member would think. He wasn't listening when we told him that there were no dolphins in Lake Placid. The Survivor Crew agreed that they had had enough of canoes but they do want to climb another mountain. They will climb many mountains n their lives.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

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A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.