Transportation/Food: Based on your location, you will be in a Tribe of men from that location. For example, the Iowa men will be in a Iowa Tribe. Colorado men will be in a Colorado Tribe. We will have multiple Nebraska Tribes. As we begin to set those up, you will be contacted by your Tribe leader or leaders to help you work on transportation, questions about food, camping, etc or any other need. Work with your car mates on that front and let us know if there are issues that we may need to address. Traveling out with other men is a priceless “windshield time” that cannot be duplicated.

 
Talk about food logistics with your car mates / camping mates. Cook in camp, go into town (Leadville) for food or share meals with a Tribe are all options. Let us know if you have questions.  On Wednesday night, we will host the annual all camp dinner at a minimal cost ($10). Please bring $10 cash or more to help cover costs. We will need guys to help lead the food effort on Wednesday night. Please let us know if you can help! All other meals are on your own.

  SWAG :  Some very cool things are coming!

  Training Plans/Mountains:  Keep working out. Start now if you have not!  Walk, run, climb, bike. Find someone to keep you accountable. You got this! We will be hiking the “Decalibron” as the all group hike on Friday, August 2nd. The “Decalibron” consists of four 14,000 foot peaks that can all be done in the time frame we will set. Even though some of you may not hike this year, we want you to be at the trailhead area where we set up so that everyone shares in the excitement of cheering men home as they come off the mountain. We will be working on the location of that area at the Kite Lake trailhead. As for our optional hike for men on Thursday, We are considering Huron Peak, Yale and a few more. Stay tuned.

Excursions:  All of the excursion information is up on the website. There is information out there about the type of camp and hiking gear to consider bringing. For rentals like bikes,kayaks, etc it would be wise to act soon to secure it. Remember – all of these are at your own cost and we have negotiated discounts for some activities. Start planning now and make your reservations for these excursions!

Water:  There is no water in camp this year. No issues, as in the past, we have had men bring their own. We will have water available but plan on bringing your own as well.

 Coffee:  We plan on continuing the tradition of providing morning coffee in camp! There is nothing better than a warm cup of java at 10,000 feet while you take in the fresh pine smell! We have all of the equipment but will need a few men to help make it happen. If you want to help make coffee, donate money for some Leadville local coffee from City On A Hill or set up each morning, let us know.

 Firewood:  We hope to continue the tradition of providing firewood for campfires at Camp Hale. Sourcing it has become a lot harder. As of today, there are no fire restrictions, but we are monitoring the county website and hope we can avoid that. We may need to have a guy or two with a pickup go pick up some wood for us if we cannot get it dropped at the campground. If you can help, let us know. Campfires at night under the incredible Colorado skies are special!

 Group connection via GroupMe app:  There are many places where you will be able to use your phone and receive text messages. In order to keep everyone up to date on things while we are out there, we plan on using a phone app called GroupMe. We will be able to send text messages so that everyone knows schedules, any change in times for night events, any need for assistance and more. Stay tuned for this. Over the next week, you will get an invite to your phone number that you provided to us to connect with the Peak Challenge 2024 group on GroupMe.

 Devotions:  We will be creating a series of four WILDERNESS devotions that you can use personally or together as a group, either before Peak Challenge or at Peak Challenge. Be in the Word, connect with other men and get yourself ready to experience God in the Wilderness!

 Prayer:  Keep praying for rain/snow in Colorado. We need there to be sufficient moisture to avoid fire restrictions that could severely limit our use of campfires at night. Campfire time is one of the greatest joys at Peak Challenge. Pray for transformation at Peak Challenge. Men – your impact for the Kingdom is significant. What you do for others matters. Regardless of your past, it is a new day and a chance to live for Jesus like never before! 

God.Men.Mountains.Legacies.
The Peak Challenge Team

Transportation/Food:The lists of men by location are attached to this email. Please use this information for Peak Challenge travel purposes only. We encourage carpooling as much as possible and with that comes the call for being vaccinated. Work with your car mates on that front and let us know if there are issues that we may need to address. Traveling out with other men is a priceless “windshield time” that cannot be duplicated. We will do this within any applicable COVID restrictions, expectations and preferences. 
Talk about food logistics with your car mates / camping mates. Cook in camp, go into town for food or sharing meals like the Des Moines men will be doing are all options. Let us know if you have questions.  On Wednesday night, our Des Moines men will host the annual all camp dinner at a minimal cost ($5-7). We will also have lunch at a spot near the trailhead on Friday afternoon as you all come down off the mountain. We will need guys to help lead the food effort on Friday afternoon. Please let us know if you can help!

  SWAG :  We may have outdone ourselves this year! Hoodies – the design is done and these are incredible. You have all given us your shirt size at registration. If you want the hoodie to be a bit roomier than your shirt size, you will need to specifically tell us BEFORE MAY 31st. Email us with your change if that is what you want to do.Caps – The refresh of Peak Challenge caps is over the top! Paired with the hoodie, you may just be the hippest dressed dude in your neighborhood when you return. Finisher award – Teamed up with a cool running event company to put together a customized award that can sit on your desk or shelf at work or at home. Design will be finished soon. These are special! Challenge coin  – we have some incredible challenge coins ready to go this year that commemorate one of our leaders who died in the mountains before Peak Challenge in 2019. Can’t wait to share the designs on these items! Seriously…. where do you get that much cool stuff from one experience?

  Training Plans/Mountains:  Keep working out.  Walk, run, climb, bike. Find someone to keep you accountable. You got this! We will be hiking Mt Sherman on our last day (Friday am) and that will be for all men. Even though some of you may not hike, we want you to be at the trailhead area where we set up so that everyone shares in the excitement of cheering men home as they come off the mountain. We will be working on the location of that area. As for our optional hike for men on Thursday, We are considering Huron Peak, Bierstadt/Evans and a few more. Stay tuned.

Excursions:  All of the excursion information is up on the website. There is information out there about the type of camp and hiking gear to consider bringing. For rentals like bikes,kayaks, etc it would be wise to act soon to secure it. Remember – all of these are at your own cost and we have negotiated discounts for some activities. Start planning now and make your reservations for these excursions!
COVID planning: It is likely that all restrictions may be gone by the time of our experience. Regardless, plan on bringing hand sanitizer and masks. You may still have to use a mask in town at various locations. We have a COVID plan in place for the campground if needed and will work with local officials to ensure compliance. 

 Prayer:  Keep praying for rain in Colorado. We need there to be sufficient moisture to avoid fire restrictions that could severely limit our use of campfires at night. Campfire time is one of the greatest joys at Peak Challenge. Pray for more men to commit to get off the grid this summer and come see what this Peak Challenge thing is all about. Invite friends. Send them to the website. 

God.Men.Mountains.Legacies.
The Peak Challenge Team

Transportation/Food: Next week, we will put out a list of men from each locale (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, etc.) for purposes of ride sharing out to Camp Hale and back. Traveling out with other men is a priceless “windshield time” that cannot be duplicated. We will do this within any applicable COVID restrictions, expectations and preferences. Start thinking about your travel logistics. As far as food goes, you can work with your group that you come out with to decide whether you cook in camp or go into town for food. On Wednesday night, our Des Moines men will host the annual all camp dinner at a minimal cost. We will also have lunch at a spot near the trailhead on Friday afternoon as you all come down off the mountain.

  SWAG :  Peak Challenge never fails to answer the bell when it comes to swag. Have we got some great things lined up for you this year! Hoodies – we are making the leap from shirts to hoodies this summer. You have all given us your shirt size at registration. If you want the hoodie to be a bit roomier than your shirt size, you will need to specifically tell us very soon. Email us with your change if that is what you want to do.Caps – We are working with our friend that will put together the hoodies to give us a refresh on the Peak Challenge caps. These are going to be very cool so stay tuned. Finisher award – We have done wood cuts in the past, but this year, we are teaming up with a cool running event company to put together a customized award that can sit on your desk or shelf at work or at home. Challenge coin  – we have some incredible challenge coins ready to go this year that commemorate one of our leaders who died in the mountains before Peak Challenge in 2019. Can’t wait to share the designs on these items!

  Training Plans/Mountains:  Discipline and consistency. Two key words. Just start. Do not try to eat the elephant in one bite! Walk, run, climb, bike. Find someone to keep you accountable. You got this! We will be hiking Mt Sherman on our last day (Friday am) and that will be for all men. Even though some of you may not hike, we want you to be at the trailhead area where we set up so that everyone shares in the excitement of cheering men home as they come off the mountain. No man left behind. As for our optional hike for men on Thursday, We are considering Huron Peak, Bierstadt/Evans and a few more. Stay tuned.

Excursions:  Whitewater information is up on the website. Thanks John Harris and his team that help pull this together every year! As noted on the website, Noah’s Ark is the whitewater outfitter. They would like registrants to use “Peak Challenge Men’s Retreat” as the organization as well as use the “Peak21” discount code when they sign up. We also to give a shout out to Terry Niemoth (a Peak Challenge veteran) for pulling together data for ziplining and ATV riding. See the spreadsheet attached. Remember – all of these are at your own cost and we have negotiated discounts for some activities. Start planning now and make your reservations for these excursions!
COVID planning: It is likely that all restrictions may be gone by the time of our experience. Regardless, we are planning as best as we can to make this year’s event happen within requirements that may still be in place by various governmental agencies. One big factor will be having high numbers of vaccinated men. That will be very helpful in dealing with local public health officials. Plan on bringing hand sanitizer and masks. We have a COVID plan in place for the campground if needed and will work with local officials to ensure compliance. We will provide regular updates.

 Prayer:  Pray for rain in Colorado. We need there to be sufficient moisture to avoid fire restrictions that could severely limit our use of campfires at night. Campfire time is one of the greatest joys at Peak Challenge. Pray for more men to commit to get off the grid this summer and come see what this Peak Challenge thing is all about. Invite friends. Send them to the website. If you need invite cards, we have them! May is usually our biggest sign up period so do not hold back on getting the word out!

God.Men.Mountains.Legacies.
The Peak Challenge Team

Hero worship in our western culture extends into every part of our lives. You may have sports heroes whom you love to follow and be inspired by. You may have heroes within your profession or line of work that have helped shape and mold your career. As a student, you may have had coaches and teachers that were heroes, providing guidance and wisdom to you as journeyed from childhood to manhood. One of the most visible examples of calling out heroes in America is to pay homage to our first responders (police, fire, military, medical) for what they do and the impact they have. In light of COVID-19 in 2020 and now in 2021, we saw a lot of frontline heroes treating patients. Care providers going above and beyond to serve those in nursing homes and hospitals. The impact of COVID-19 provided many other examples of heroes.

We need heroes in our lives.  But there is one Hero we need more than any other—Jesus.

Jesus is the ultimate Hero.  A Hero that gave it all.  His Life.  His Death.  His Resurrection.  The Hero that gives us the ultimate rescue.  Life with Him. 

Men need Jesus.  Men need a Hero.  Men even become heroic when they hang out with such a Hero.HERO is our theme in 2021. 
Here are some quick updates and information:

Transportation: We will soon be putting out a list of men from each locale (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, etc.) for purposes of ride sharing out the Camp Hale and back. Traveling out with other men is a priceless “windshield time” that cannot be duplicated. We will do this within COVID restrictions, expectations and preferences. Stay tuned for that list and begin thinking about your travel logistics.
  Training Plans:  If you have not started a cardio plan or any other regular workout routine, our strong suggestion is to begin with one now. If you need any assistance with what that could look like for you, please let us know and we will be more than willing to help. Understand this: a 14er hike humbles EVERYONE. Even those in excellent shape will find it a challenge. If you want to enjoy the journey, put in the training!


Excursions: We are working to get all the data that you will need to make informed decisions about the various excursions that you may do throughout the experience. Things like whitewater rafting, ATV riding, Jeep trails, gun range, mountain biking, fly fishing and more. All of these are at your own cost and we have negotiated discounts for some activities. The whitewater information is up on our website and that trip will be on Wednesday the 28th. More information about the various excursions will be up on the website very soon. Keep in mind that many of these may still have some COVID restrictions in place so keep that in mind when you check them out.

COVID planning: With the roll out of vaccines, it is likely that any man or young man that is coming will have been vaccinated or given the chance to be vaccinated. Having high numbers of vaccinated men will be very helpful in dealing with local public health officials. The patchwork of county public health regulations in Colorado, for us that being Eagle County and Lake County, is constantly in flux. We are watching and monitoring daily. We will have a COVID plan in place for the campground as needed and will work with local officials to ensure compliance. We will provide regular updates.

 Prayer: We need you all to pray for a few specific things right now. First, pray that the COVID restrictions in Eagle and Lake Counties lessen quickly and provide us full access to Camp Hale. Pray for more and more young men to come to Peak Challenge. If you are a dad, a grandfather or a mentor to a young man 13 years or above, or you know men that fit this description, encourage them to come and bring that young man. Pray for the 22 men from Open Door Mission that will be selected by their leadership to come to Peak Challenge. It has been our honor for the past 6 years to bring them out for free so that they can be a part of a transformational experience. Finally, pray for a boldness from Jesus to get/keep you in the Word, to find ways to serve others and be willing to share the hope you have with others.

God.Men.Mountains.Legacies.
The Peak Challenge Team

Good morning men!

Good news! We have been working with the Eagle County Public Health Department concerning the COVID-19 restrictions and limitations that they have in place concerning everything from business locations to campgrounds within the county. The East Fork Camp Hale Group Campground had severe limitations on use for quite some time. An April 16th Order appeared to loosen some restrictions and provided an application process to seek approval of events of more than 25 people. After several email and phone conversations with their office, and thanks to your prayers, an application was submitted. Yesterday, the application was approved for 175 men! Praise God! That could and will likely change to the 200 max capacity as we get closer to the date.

We are now working with theEagle/Holy Cross Ranger District of the US Forest Service who owns the campground. We hope that there are little or no further requirements from them in our use of the campground. They contract out to a third party to “manage” the site – essentially just a cleaning of the pit toilets once every few days. Pray that we can get over any other hurdles and have a green light for using the location!

You can see our April 12th Enews Edition on our website by clicking this link.
Here are some quick updates and information:

Transportation/Food: By the middle of May, we will put out a list of men from each locale (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, etc.) for purposes of ride sharing out to Camp Hale and back. Traveling out with other men is a priceless “windshield time” that cannot be duplicated. We will do this within any applicable COVID restrictions, expectations and preferences. Stay tuned for that list and begin thinking about your travel logistics. As far as food goes, you can work with your group that you come out with to decide whether you cook in camp or go into town for food. On Wednesday night, our Des Moines men will host the annual all camp dinner at a minimal cost. We will also have lunch at a spot near the trailhead on Friday afternoon as you all come down off the mountain.
  Training Plans/Mountains:  Discipline and consistency. Two key words. Just start. Do not try to eat the elephant in one bite! Walk, run, climb, bike. Find someone to keep you accountable. You got this! We will be hiking Mt Sherman on our last day (Friday am) and that will be for all men. Even though some of you may not hike, we want you to be at the trailhead area where we set up so that everyone shares in the excitement of cheering men home as they come off the mountain. No man left behind. As for our optional hike for men on Thursday, We are considering Huron Peak, Bierstadt/Evans and a few more. Stay tuned.

Excursions:  Whitewater information is up on the website. We have some men pulling data for other excursions and we hope to have that info on the website soon. Things like whitewater rafting, ATV riding, Jeep trails, gun range, mountain biking, fly fishing and more. All of these are at your own cost and we have negotiated discounts for some activities. 

COVID planning: It is possible that all restrictions may be gone by the time of our experience. Regardless, we are planning as best as we can to make this year’s event happen within the various requirements set out by various governmental agencies. One big factor will be having high numbers of vaccinated men. That will be very helpful in dealing with local public health officials. We will have a COVID plan in place for the campground as needed and will work with local officials to ensure compliance. We will provide regular updates.

 Prayer:  Pray for more and more young men to come to Peak Challenge. If you are a dad, a grandfather or a mentor to a young man 13 years or above, or you know men that fit this description, encourage them to come and bring that young man. Pray for the 22 men from Open Door Mission that will be selected by their leadership to come to Peak Challenge. It has been our honor for the past 6 years to bring them out for free so that they can be a part of a transformational experience. Finally, pray for a boldness from Jesus to get/keep you in the Word, to find ways to serve others and be willing to share the hope you have with others.

God.Men.Mountains.Legacies.
The Peak Challenge Team

Trevor Otto gave you all at Peak Challenge a snipet of his testimony. God is calling Trevor and his family to Malawi, Africa in November. God’s fingerprints are all over this journey and we are excited to see what he does with the Otto family.

As Trevor noted, there really is no RISK in obeying the call. The greatest RISK was God sending his only Son to redeem a sinful world… a sacrifice unlike anything we will ever know. Going to Africa is not risky in the eyes of Trevor and his family.

It also is not risky to help seed this journey.

That is where we come in.

Band of Brothers will match – dollar for dollar – donations of up to $500 for the Otto family.

We hope that God uses people in this to exceed our expectations. God is an Ephesian 3:20 God!

Go read the story of the Otto family on their blog site :

http://theottosinafrica.wordpress.com/

Take some time to visit their page on the A Lighted Path website

 http://alightedpath.org/meet-the-otto-family/

On the A Lighted Path page, there is an online giving button at the bottom for a one time gift or a recurring donation.  Make sure that when you do donate to mention “Peak Challenge” so that Matt Carlson and others at A Lighted Path can track your gift.

Thanks for taking the next step in seeding into a legacy.

RALE is a normal term that we use in conversations with Band of Brother men.

Reject Passivity.
Accept Responsibility
Lead courageously.
Expect God’s greater rewards.

Many of you may be connected to a church at home. You may be a regular attender and may even serve in some way at the church. Maybe you are part of the men’s ministry there.Maybe your church has no outlet for men.

For others, church is a new concept or a revisited one.Peak Challenge may have been that initial step to explore a bit further and test the claims of Jesus.

Whatever your story – know this: there are men like the ones that you met at Peak Challenge that have the same heart as yours. A heart to be set free, to live for more than just yourself, to lead a life of impact and meaning.

God is calling all of us to RALE and RISK.

As you resume your rhythms of life in your locales following Peak Challenge, take seriously the message of RISK. Take seriously the message of Dan Weber who gave you all a “green light” to dream about Kingdom building.

Go do it.

It is more than just a men’s ministry.

Band of Brothers has a network of men across the country that are connected with a common cause of raising up and discipling men who can disciple others. Men in Omaha, Kansas City, Des Moines, Houston, and Phoenix, as well as small towns like Onawa and Norfolk.

Just start. Begin to look around and pull men together that share your passion.

Here are some basic things to think about when doing that – NEXT STEP GUIDE

Call us, email us or talk to us in person and we will do our best to guide you.

Take the next step.

In 1910, an Englishman named Arnold Bennett wrote a little book on time-management.  But his eloquent words apply powerfully to Kingdom Building today.  On Saturday night, I asked you to imagine having a green light from your pastor.  If you could make a difference for the Kingdom in your community, what would you do?  If you could share the love of Christ in a real and natural way with a particular neighborhood or network, how would you do it?

And from that brief conversation, I heard some great ideas.  Now what?

Bennett’s words about taking hold of your daily allotment of time apply to those “green light ideas” for the sake of the Kingdom.  He writes as a man speaking to men.  There’s no pretending or sugarcoating.  And yet, his words are exhilarating.

The most important preliminary to the task […] is the calm realization of the extreme difficulty of the task, of the sacrifices and the endless effort which it demands. I cannot too strongly insist on this. If you imagine that you will be able to achieve your ideal by ingeniously planning out a time-table with a pen on a piece of paper, you had better give up hope at once. If you are not prepared for discouragements and disillusions; if you will not be content with a small result for a big effort, then do not begin. Lie down again and resume the uneasy doze which you call your existence. It is very sad, is it not, very depressing and somber? And yet I think it is rather fine, too, this necessity for the tense bracing of the will before anything worth doing can be done. I rather like it myself. I feel it to be the chief thing that differentiates me from the cat by the fire. “Well,” you say, “assume that I am braced for the battle. Assume that I have carefully weighed and comprehended your ponderous remarks; how do I begin?” Dear sir, you simply begin. There is no magic method of beginning. If a man standing on the edge of a swimming-pool and wanting to jump into the cold water should ask you, “How do I begin to jump?” you would merely reply, “Just jump. Take hold of your nerves, and jump.” As I have previously said, the chief beauty about the constant supply of time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoilt, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your career. Which fact is very gratifying and reassuring. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose. Therefore no object is served in waiting till next week, or even until tomorrow. You may fancy that the water will be warmer next week. It won’t. It will be colder.  (text public domainhttp://www.gutenberg.org/files/2274/2274-h/2274-h.htm)

Get to it.  Man up.  Jump.  You’ve got the green light.   And you’re not alone.  Send me a line about how it’s going: danw@kingofkingsomaha.org.  Let me know how I can pray for you or how I can support you.

Dan Weber

Associate Pastor—Director of Missional Living

King of Kings Church
11615 I Street Omaha, NE 68137
402.504.9014