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Where
were you when I laid the earth's foundation? … Who
shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the
womb…Have you ever given orders to the morning, or
shown the dawn its place?.. Have you comprehended the vast
expanses of the earth? God in Job.
Of
the early walkers: It is as if landscapes allowed travellers
to experience transcendent feelings that they no longer
felt in cities and the cultivated countryside. The landscapes
offered them an emotional connection to a greater power.
Alain de Botton, 2002
There
are certain scenes that would awe an atheist into belief
without the help of any other argument.
Thomas Gray, Letters, 1739
Introduction
Hillwalking is an ideal context for connection both with
people and with God. Space, time and a variety of individuals
plus the moving, ever changing grandeur of the outdoor which
may elicit experiences of God, some inexpressible others
more expressible, such as awe, silence, praise, humility
and a timely perspective on life to name a few.
A
personal perspective
The purpose of starting the walking group came from my own
(Derek Petrie) personal experience of engaging with God
in the outdoors. Being up in the mountains affords an ideal
opportunity to view what God has created and experience
nature in all its fullness. It's time with others, time
to think, time to meditate and reflect whilst exercising
and enjoying the fellowship of others whether they are Christians
or not. I've drawn an immense amount of satisfaction and
fulfillment from going hillwalking, leaving behind the noise,
busy-ness and distractions of the city or home to take time
out with God. The times I've been out on the hills have
been fun, challenging and very enjoyable and it's a great
opportunity to get some good exercise after a week spent
sitting about at work. I can give God my full attention
for hours on end which can feel like an oasis at times.
Romans 1:20 says "By taking a long and thoughtful look
at what God has created, people have always been able to
see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power for
instance, and the mystery of his divine being." (from
The Message translation of the Bible)
Aim
To promote and nurture community through having regular
and planned walking outings for CCE members and friends.
Walks will vary widely in length and difficulty but are
meant to be a day outing catering for novices as well as
veterans.
Objectives
There will be one organiser for each trip, and currently
a pool of 6 organisers. There will be a range of walks from
easy flat walks to more demanding hillwalks and rock climbs.
i.e. St Cuthbert's Way in the Borders to Ben Nevis. The
trips are open to anyone and everyone. Children under 18
should have a parental consent form completed by their parents
and given to the organiser.
Each
month one person is responsible for organising and co-ordinating
the trip. There is the possibility of scheduling 1 weekend
away every three months or so. Training days/weekends for
those who would like to develop either their own skills
or the skills involved in taking groups hillwalking may
well be offered too.
Transport
Those interested will email or phone the organizer (likely
as not) and be e-mailed in return to contact a particular
driver for a lift. We will mention the amount that each
person should pay the driver so that everyone is clear.
It is each passenger's responsibility to contact their driver
and arrange to meet them or be picked up. The driver will
arrange to pick up and drop off each individual wherever
agreed. The group will agree to meet in the predetermined
location (Grid ref) at a given time. Each person being picked
up should give the driver their contact details and mobile
phone number so that if anything goes wrong they can get
in touch.
Programme
Each month there will be a different walk posted on the
CCE website, added to the e-newsletter and printed as leaflets
inviting folks to sign up for the walk. If there's demand
we can organise weekends away and training weekends for
those looking to develop their mountaineering skills. Each
walk /trip will include:
-
Description of walk and route
- Location
- Length
- Level
of difficulty
- What
gear is need. In winter ice-axe and crampons would be
necessary for any hillwalks
- Estimated
drive time
- Departure
and arrival back times
- Cost
i.e. petrol contribution. Dependent on travel time/destination
but from £2.50 pp
- Leader/organiser's
name
- Meeting
point if traveling independently.
- Weather
update (will be posted the day before the walk for the
area)
- Who
else is signed up
- Conditions
(code of conduct)
Expectations (code of conduct)
We will give an indication of our expectations on the part
of everyone wanting to go on a walk from safety, to petrol
contribution for drivers, to bringing the correct gear.
It will include being punctual if getting a lift because
of the implications of being late for everyone else.
We may
need to limit numbers depending on the number of drivers.
Communication
We would get in touch with people through
- CCE
newsletter linked to the CCE website.
- Email
- PDF Doc. with all the details
- Hand
out leaflets in advance at church on a Sunday morning
- Each
walk will be saved in a downloadable PDF doc with all
the details.
- Put
up two weeks prior on the CCE noticeboard
- Each
individual emails or phones the organiser to sign up
The
hillwalks can also be announced at Sunday meetings for those
people who don't look at the website or are new to the church.
We can also gather interested parties through this.
Leaders/organisers
- January
- Derek
- February
- From Craig MacDonald, Alan Colley, Andrew Hook, Roy
Hasson
- March
- As above
- April
- As above
- May
- As above
- June
- As above
Links to various club sites for reference:
Blairgowrie
& District Hillwalking Club - http://www.bdhc.org.uk/
Edinburgh
University hillwalking group - http://euhwc.eusu.ed.ac.uk/
Ferranti
Hillwalking group - http://www.mountaineering.fsbusiness.co.uk/
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