One Step at a Time: Bonding Families on the Trail

Family life can often feel rushed, fragmented, or quietly strained. But Eagle Lake Camps has created space for something rare: unhurried time for parents and their kids to be together, seeking God alongside other families walking similar roads. This is the mission behind Eagle Lake’s Dad Teen Trek and Mom Teen Trek programs. These week-long excursions offer parents and teens an opportunity to step away from everyday noise — and into the mountains.

This past summer, parents and Navigators John Teten and Kari Ballard were able to experience a week at camp: John as a camper with his daughter, and Kari leading a group of moms and daughters. What they experienced went deeper than just a fun adventure with family. Through camp, they watched God heal relationships, build bonds through physical challenges, and foster new connections between parents, their kids, and those who journeyed with them.

Dad Teen Trek: Learning to Do Hard Things Together

When John first heard about Dad Teen Trek, he wasn’t sure if it was for his family. He and his soon-to-be 12-year-old daughter, Lucille, were “lowlanders from Florida,” not seasoned backpackers, and Lucille would be the youngest teen on the trip. However, when Eagle Lake Camp Director Jenny Dordal reached out to John to ask if he and Lucille wanted to join this summer camp experience, John agreed.

What followed became, in John’s words, “one of the greatest weeks of my life — and one of the greatest weeks of life together with my daughter.”

Dad Teen Trek blends wilderness adventure with intentional spiritual formation. The week began on site at Eagle Lake with a low ropes course before sending dads and their teens into the Colorado backcountry for several days of hiking, camping, and guided conversations. Along the trail, counselors created space for Scripture, prayer, and extended one-on-one conversations between the dads and their kids — hours set aside simply to talk, listen, and be present.

For Lucille, the physical challenge became deeply formative. On the final climb of a long hike, John repeatedly offered to lighten her load. Each time, she refused. Determined to finish on her own, Lucille pressed on while counselors walked beside her, cheering her forward. That moment stayed with John, especially knowing his daughter had recently walked through a season of struggling with anxiety.

“It planted a seed in her that she can do hard things,” John explains. “She can do them with others. She can do them with her dad. She can do them with the Lord. She can endure.”

Equally meaningful was the way counselors modeled servant leadership. John, who works in the Navigators Collegiate ministry, was struck by the maturity and humility of the young leaders guiding the trek. They created an atmosphere of safety and joy — all while carrying heavy loads and leading adults and teens through unfamiliar terrain.

“Eagle Lake does a great job developing young leaders who are constantly having to lead with service and faith,” John says. “They were always on, always with a smile. They anticipated our needs, guided us, encouraged us, and cheered us on. These counselors that guided our trip were some of the most impressive young people I’ve ever been around.”

After a week of hiking and whitewater rafting, the four dads and their teens returned for a final night at camp. The dads prepared a banquet-style dinner, complete with twinkling lights, followed by a ceremony of blessing. Teens read words honoring their dads, and dads spoke blessings over their teens. John could barely get through his first words without tears.

That moment was so significant to John and his daughter that several months after camp, Lucille still references that moment — proudly identifying her dad as “the one who cries with me.”

At the end of the week, all the trekkers got to choose a bracelet with a word that captures what the week meant to them. John chose the word “loved” and witnessed his daughter place the bracelet around his wrist. He’s worn it every day since.

“I chose ‘loved’ because for me, the week was a beautiful mix of the love I have for my daughter and the love she has for me,” John says. “But even more, I was reminded of my Father’s love for me, that I’m wrapped up into His love too.”

Mom Teen Trek: Vulnerability That Builds Family

While Dad Teen Trek has been around for about 30 years at Eagle Lake, Mom Teen Trek launched for the first time this past summer. Kari, who grew up attending and leading camp as a girl and has since sent all of her kids to Eagle Lake, helped guide the week.

Three mom-and-daughter duos arrived for the week of backpacking, each carrying their own story. One mom came with her 21-year-old daughter, Faith, who has Down syndrome. Another arrived with a confident 17-year-old, and a third brought her 13-year-old adopted daughter.

Almost immediately, bonds between the girls and their moms started to develop. Faith declared the other girls her “besties.” Though each girl had a unique background and was going through a different walk of life, the time spent in the mountains connected them in a way that dissolved any barriers that might have existed.

“They ditched whatever personas they came in with,” Kari says, “and just loved on each other like you wouldn’t believe.”

On the trail, the moms also forged deep connections, sharing openly about their fears, disappointments, and prayers for their children. No one came pretending to have it all together, but through physical challenges and vulnerability, they were able to share in their weakness and walk stronger, together.

“Coming from a place of weakness and challenge made it safe for us to talk and share about the struggles we were facing,” Kari shares. “It only gets lighter as we are all carrying a bit of it, and we could pray over each other.”

The community and connections born on the trail have progressed beyond camp. In the months following, the four moms who attended have continued to talk monthly, praying for their children and for one another.

“There’s something about sitting around a fire talking about the Lord, what you are learning in your quiet time, that’s really valuable and powerful,” Kari explains. “Everything hits a little closer to home because you are tired and struggling. You’re helping each other make it.”

A Lasting Work, One Family at a Time

Whether through Dad Teen Trek or Mom Teen Trek, God used these weeks to do lasting work. As parents and teens shouldered packs together, they learned a deeper truth: They are not alone. Not only are they there for each other, but God is always present. And He is still faithfully shaping hearts — one trail, one prayer, one relationship at a time.

Discipleship Tip:

Eagle Lake Camps’ Dad Teen Trek and Mom Teen Trek programs encourage spiritual formation through intentional time away from the distractions of everyday life. This week, consider how you might incorporate a similar experience into your schedule, even in a small way — whether it’s a morning hike with someone you’re discipling or an afternoon dedicated to time alone with God.