A higher kind
of challenge.

For older boys and men

The 2026 description invited WELS participants of high-school age and older. This is a demanding backpacking trip requiring fitness and advance conditioning.

The Ranger trips began in 1973. The history also describes trips through Paria Canyon in Arizona and Utah. Earlier route descriptions differ from the 2026 itinerary.

Watch the Ranger trip

How the trips began

In the early 1970s, Lutheran Pioneers had grown in the southwestern United States, and leaders from the Alchesay District, including Mr. Zeke Jarcik, proposed two alternating national trips on Bureau of Land Management land. One is a week in the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado, starting at the Molas Trailhead near 10,000 feet and climbing to about 13,000 feet. The other follows Paria Canyon in Arizona and Utah, crossing the river many times and exploring slot canyons and a 200 foot natural arch.

Since 1973, Ranger groups have ranged from 10 to 48 hikers. Committee contacts: Bryan and Teri Guenther.