One of the lesser known Christian organizations in Highland Park, KLife hosts Sunday night Bible study and worship for students at the KLife house, directly across from the front entrance of the high school. They sponsor a ski retreat each winter, taking about 30 students on a six day adventure into the Rocky Mountains. The trip, however, didn’t go quite as planned this December.

“The bus ride on the way [to Crested Butte] was rather rough because of weather,” senior Grant Howell said. “We had to take a different route due to snowstorm ‘Goliath.’”

The usual route heads directly northwest through Amarillo, but was changed last minute to go through Kansas, avoiding the storm. This detour added an extra four hours each way to the already long ride.

“We ate 5-star meals at McDonald’s on the way there and back, but it turned out alright, and all 40 hours of bus riding were worth the trip there,” Howell said. “We enjoyed classic movies like The Incredibles and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. There were serious and hysterical conversations going on at all times except around 4:00 am.”

Since the bus was fairly full, many students sat two per row, making sleeping arrangements slightly challenging.

“The bus was a little cramped but I was expecting it,” senior William Wessman said. “Being a taller person, I was expecting to be uncomfortable but since I was prepared, it wasn’t bad. In order to sleep, I slept on the floor. It sounds very uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as bad as trying to sleep on the chair. The bus ride was as good as it could’ve been.”

Though the trip there and back took longer than normal, it was worth the extra time. The Lake Highlands Young Life chapter attempted to go the direct route, but ended up stuck in Amarillo for over 48 hours as the blizzard came down around them.

“I was very thankful that we were able to take another route around the storm so the trip could still go on,” senior Keaton Calhoun said.

Once in Crested Butte, Colorado, the group split into two.

“For my junior and senior year I didn’t ski, and we called ourselves the ‘no ski zone,’ Howell said. “Although I love to ski, and I skied my freshman and sophomore year, simply hanging out in town has been so much fun the last two years. My favorite part of Crested Butte is Camp4Coffee. It is the best coffee I’ve ever had, and we spent a lot of time sipping on coffee and enjoying each other’s company.”

Like Howell, other student athletes, such as senior Peyton Eisnaugle, chose to not ski due to their college recruitment and admissions partially relying on their upcoming spring season sports, needing to remain uninjured so they could play baseball and volleyball, respectively. Others, however, were on the mountain skiing in the 10º F temperatures.

“I’ve been skiing since I was really little so I was very excited to be able to ski in Crested Butte again,” Calhoun said.

After a long day of shopping, the entire group descended back on their accommodations and met for a night of personal quiet time, a skit put on by the leaders, worship, a message and then ended in small group time in their rooms.

“My friends, Grant Howell and McKenna Farley, and I led worship each night at ‘Klub,’ Calhoun said.

Howell played the acoustic guitar while Calhoun and Farley led the group in various worship songs.

All in all, the trip was a tremendous success.

“I am definitely going to miss the ski trip next year,” Howell said. “I will miss just hanging out with friends in the mountains and enjoying the time away from the bubble.”