Being awestruck in wonder is a blessing; if you live in California, it is an accessible blessing when compared to my travels across Asia—topographically, culturally and systemically.
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵֱ²¥â€™s Summer in the Sierras program takes three unique practices: academics, wilderness recreation and backpacking, and (Christian) spirituality, and weaves them to form a wonderful 14-day excursion in Yosemite and the greater Sierra Nevada’s.
In this article, I am less interested in writing about my experience as a student, photographer and mountain guide, than offering you an invitation to the wilderness to experience God’s creation to connect with yourself.
I study Communication and Philosophy, so I love a distinction—there is a difference between seeing and experiencing God’s creation. I see the Sierras, steadfast, five times a week on my drive to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵֱ²¥ from Madera. I do not experience them five times a week. The same would be true even if I drove from Oakhurst, or even if I drove through Yosemite. The experience of wilderness starts when I am connected to the earth without obstruction from man-made products— Creation interacting with Creation. Anything else is merely viewing.
Today, common encounters with wilderness are aesthetic or escapist—and there is something understandable in admiring a view and relief in stepping away from the noise of daily life.
But I want to suggest that wilderness offers more than beauty and escape; it is integral to spiritual formation. This is not a new idea. Across traditions and centuries, wilderness has been the place humans go to encounter something greater than themselves. For example, Jesus spent forty days in the Judean wilderness before He began his public ministry. He didn’t just retreat to wilderness when He needed space from people, or out of boredom. Jesus sought wilderness to reconnect with himself, his mission and his creator.
Was He also tempted in the wilderness? Yes. That's somewhat frightening, but don't worry, you're not Jesus. Much too often, we are averse to wilderness because of fear and discomfort—so we have made it metaphorical. We hear wilderness mentioned in church and leave it there. But wilderness exists physically. You ought to experience it physically—not necessarily the Sierras, not a fourteen-day expedition, but one honest step further than you have taken before. If you have seen wilderness, consider what it would mean to enter it.
If you have entered it, consider what it would mean to stay long enough to be changed by it.
Are the Mountains Calling You?
With ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵֱ²¥ Wilderness, take a step beyond the classroom into the great outdoors. Join one of our programs and experience for yourself all the wilderness has to offer.
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