2026 Youth Trip to Colorado – Day 5
August 5 – Day 5
By Lane Johanningmeier
Wednesday morning, we began our final day in the mountains. After a day of adventure and a day of deeper discussion, Wednesday was planned to be more laid-back, with some short videos about the history of the land we were visiting and a lot of free time planned. During breakfast, over an unbelievably delicious French toast bake, Sarah introduced the theme of our final day, which was to belong humbly. After breakfast we entered our first stint of free time, which included music on the porch, hacky sack in the pavilion, and arts and crafts among other activities. For lunch the Sky Ranch camp staff made homemade pizza, and then we entered a time of siesta followed by quiet time—although I am still unsure what was supposed to be different between the two periods. We were also given an opportunity to visit the camp store, where just about everyone bought identical sweaters. Next, we went on a whole group walk to Beaver Falls, which was maybe a Fifteen-minute walk from camp. Here we took a lot of pictures before heading back to greet Sammy who had just arrived back at camp. Once we had returned, us graduates led the group through an activity we came up with. Essentially the younger grades were split into 6 groups, and they had to find each of us hiding somewhere around the camp. We then gave them a task they had to complete to gain our signature. My task was to come up with and perform a song about me, to me, and I want to give props to Taydon’s group, who beatboxed while Taydon freestyle rapped. Ten out of ten. We then had more free time, followed by dinner, before gathering at the pavilion for a final worship where we walked to a large cross and pews in the woods, and built an Ebenezer with the rocks we were given our first night in Lincoln. After returning to the pavilion, we ended the night with quite the jam session around the fire, and stargazed on blankets in an open field before heading back to our cabins.
It’s a weird feeling to be able to say that my final trip with Good Shepherd Youth is over. Well—I suppose it’s not completely over, but the final night in our destination always has a more overwhelming emotion than leaving the bus when we return to Madison. If you had asked me four years ago, I never would have expected to have gone on any of these trips, and much less to be writing a blog post on the drive home, but most of all, I never would have expected to be able to call all these wonderful people my friends. It’s strange to believe how some of the youngest members of our youth group have made such an impact on me, despite hardly knowing them before last Saturday. It’s strange how the first person I talked to on the South Dakota trip my freshman year was standing in line on Tuesday night to be given a blessing by me. It’s strange how the single text message from Sarah on august 12th of 2024 has led me to all these amazing people who I am so blessed to call my friends, but the strangest thing of all is how hard the love these people have given me hits right at the end of my last trip. I think my favorite song puts it best, “you never know ‘til the end what your love is really worth.” I wish there was a better way I could put into words how much everyone on these trips means to me, but maybe my inability to do so is all that I need. I want to leave off with a thank you to Sarah, who is the best Teacher I will ever know, Steve, who has treated me like his own kid since that first day on the bus to South Dakota, and everyone else who has made a lifelong impact on me during the last four years.
