Finding Courage Through Outdoor Adventures

About the Book

They scattered Ralph’s ashes on Camelback Mountains, as their comrade wished, Then the group of twelve circled up. They had come from near and far and from very different careers. In high school they were members of the Kachinas, a climbing club named in honor of the mountain-dwelling spiritual beings of the Hopi Indian tribe. They spoke of the profound impact the climbing had had on their lives. And that day they vowed to build an organization that would give present-day students the opportunity to experience the same kind of character-building program they had known. So, came into being PAAK-Challenge and Reevis Mountain School, heirs to the Kachinas. Hundreds of young men and women participated in a variety of programs that gave them courage for other life adventures.

About the Author

Gene Lefebvre was born and raised in Phoenix where he spent most of his years in ministry. He served as a pastor in four Presbyterian churches and two United Church of Christ congregations. He incorporated his love of nature and care for the earth into his ministry through classes and group experiences in the outdoors. He was a staff member for Breaking Through, an outdoor skills and deep ecology adult seminar in Colorado. He directed similar youth seminars for eight years. He also directed seminars on High Desert Spiritual Quests for fifteen years at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in New Mexico. Gene became a co-founder of No More Deaths, a faith-based, non-profit organization located in southern Arizona. In response to the dramatic number of deaths in the desert, thousands of volunteers have carried water, food, and first aid into the desert to relieve the suffering and death of victims. Gene has received two national awards for his humanitarian work: the Freedom From Fear Award, and the Anne Bartow and Tom Driver Award for Excellence in Non-Violent Direction Action in Retirement. Gene’s wife, Sue gave her energies to a career in Early Childhood Education. Together they raised four children, have eight grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. In retirement, Sue is writing a book on their experiences with No More Deaths.