Back Country GirlS
TRAIL GUIDE

With only 6 father/daughter duos on each trip, this Backcountry Expedition is intentionally designed to be small and personal. We have crafted an experience that will invite you to step away from the grind and enter the holy space of offering your daughter life and love for a lifetime. 
This is not just a backpacking trip. God the Father used the wilderness as the context for Jesus’ preparation for ministry, and we believe there is no better place to help your daughter discover how she reflects God’s strength and beauty to the world. All the while, we will be hiking, camping, and climbing mountains away from civilization and enjoying the fierce beauty of the Colorado Rockies.

It is easy for us men to get caught up in the practicals and logistics and lose sight of the heart. As you prepare for this summer's trip, we encourage you to take significant time to address your own life and story as you simultaneously think about your daughter's. An experience like this is meant to augment the fathering you are already doing, acting like an exclamation point on the end of your fathering sentence. Do not lose sight of the bigger story for yourself or for her.

This Backcountry Girls trip is truly a backpacking experience, and all participants must recognize this is completely primitive with no facilities but the woods. Our wilderness guides provide delicious meals and outdoor skills-building so there is no need for prior backpacking experience. We have both male and female guides who are highly skilled in all things outdoors, so you and your girls can be at rest. While no prior back country experience is needed, all participants (girls and dads alike) need to have the physical ability to carry 30-50 lb. backpacks for 3-4 miles at high elevation and a willingness to be pushed physically to accomplish significant challenges.

As this is a back country trip, each person needs a significant amount of gear. This website contains a list of recommended items to bring. Tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and backpacks can be rented from Restoration Project if needed. Email Michael Krommendyk to coordinate this gear rental.

You are responsible to make sure the gear you bring is functional and light enough to carry on high-mountain trails! Also, temperatures can dip down to 40 degrees even in July, so pack clothing accordingly.

There is much more to come in the months ahead. We look forward to journeying with you and your daughter this summer!

Fathering daughters can be one of the greatest gifts in a man's life. It can also be extremely challenging. Whereas raising boys calls a father to remember for himself what it was like to be a boy, dads just don't have that same experience with girls.

The process of girls becoming women is both vastly different and strangely similar. Both sons and daughters need the intense intentionality and presence of their fathers. But they need it in different ways. Far more with daughters, fathers are called to assume a different posture with their girls in order to launch them into womanhood. Rather than teaching them about what it means to be a woman, fathers create both the space and the platform to launch her into the fullness of both her beauty and her strength.

As she emerges from the little girl into the young woman, she needs your presence, your strength, your guidance and your intention. While you cannot be the one to lead her into womanhood (that is her mother’s role), God designed you to be her security, safety, and strength from which she will take wing and fly. If a daughter feels close to her father now, she will trust the father's guidance and instruction in the future. Dad's role in raising daughters ultimately is more about clearing the path for her to become rather than teaching or training her (as he might for his sons)

If you haven’t already, you will soon be receiving some material that will help you as you prepare your own heart for this trip, and to engage your daughter’s as well. Please take the time to go through this material and consider the following questions about your own story and your engagement with your daughter:

What aspects of your own heart have been well cared for?

What aspects have been wounded ?

When you consider fathering your daughter, what excites you? What scares you?

How would you describe your current posture towards your daughter?

The more you can begin to engage these questions now, the more impactful your time in the Back Country will be with your daughter.

The Backcountry Girls tripwill begin early on the morning of Monday, July 28th. Because of this we recommend all out of state participants to arrive in Fort Collins by the evening of July 27th.

We will be leaving together from Council Tree Covenant Church in Fort Collins, and packing everyone and all our gear into a few vehicles. You will meet the guides, do a safety check and run-through of all gear, and pack efficiently and lightly. Traveling together will offer us the opportunity to get to know one another before we hit the trail. We will then gear up and get the first few miles in once we arrive at the trailhead. We will not be back to civilization until the evening of August 1st. Please plan accordingly. You will be able to leave your car at our departing location.

This year, our expedition will be in the Zirkel Wilderness . This beautiful area is located west of Walden, Colorado and boasts of some of the most fantastic vistas in all of Colorado. While some of the basic elements of the trip (hiking, camping, etc.) are similar to the boys backpacking trips we've done, we have gone back to the drawing board and crafted a unique experience for fathers and daughters. Our location and trail are different, and we have built in some fantastic surprises the girls will love!

Please keep in mind this area is remote, and there will be no cell reception. Let your wives and significant others know where you will be, and when they can expect to hear from you. We do have experienced trail guides trained in first aid and wilderness emergencies. We will be providing you with an emergency number to leave with your loved ones in case of emergency in the front-country. They will be able to reach us if needed, but tell them right now not to expect to hear from you while you're on the trip...no news is good news.

In preparation for the trip, we will be setting up a few video conferencing calls to allow you to meet some of the other Back Country participants, also share a little about you and your daughter, and discuss trip logistics and preparation. More information about the scheduling of these calls will follow.

Please note: We've included recommended amounts of clothing so your pack is not too heavy. Remember that more clothes = more weight. All food and cooking items will be provided. We will all share the load in carrying them, but you do not need to bring anything unless you have special needs or desires! (Additionally, at registration we asked you about any dietary needs or restrictions. We have taken these into account in our menu planning.)

Camping Gear:

Backpack (50-60L should be good)
Tent (for you and your daughter)
Sleeping bag (32 degree rating or better)
Sleeping pad
Lightweight camp chair
Trekking poles (optional)

Clothing:

2 Moisture-wicking T-shirts
2 Moisture-wicking pairs underwear
1 Quick-drying pants/shorts
1 Long-sleeve shirts (for sun, bugs)
Sun-shielding hat
Swimsuits (there are lakes)
Hiking Boots/shoes - Make sure these are NOT NEW (at leaset 2-3 months old and broken in)
Socks (synthetic or wool) - NO COTTON SOCKS PLEASE!!
1 Insulating jacket or vest (i.e. fleece)
Warm hat and gloves (for night time)
Rainwear (jacket and pants)
Water sandals

Personal Items:

Refillable 1L water bottles
Bandanas (useful for many things)
Multi-tool/knife
Headlamps/flashlights
Extra batteries
Reusable coffee mug/cup (1 each person)
Bowl and/or plate (1 each person)
Spoon/fork/spork (1 each person)
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Insect repellent
Hand sanitizer
Eyeglasses/contact lenses (if needed)
Prescription medications (if needed)
Toothbrush, toiletry kit
Feminine Products (if needed)
Eye-mask for sleeping (optional)
Earplugs for sleeping (optional)
Camera (phone will work for this)
Notebook and pen/pencil
Fishing gear (if desired)
Colorado Fishing license (for over 16 only)
A sense of humor and adventure!

While our days will not be overly strenuous hiking distance wise (3-5 miles), we will be at 10,000 feet elevation and carrying ~50 pound packs. Because of this it's important for participants to be in good physical condition.

Please let us know ASAP if you have any physical limitations, medical needs, or concerns.