Looking Back
Rainier at Dawn taken on the way to Dege Peak - Photo by David Yeagley
It was 2:30 a.m. when a small group of staff and I piled into the camp van and headed toward Mount Rainier National Park. It was our day off—the perfect time to keep a long-standing camp tradition: a two-mile predawn hike to Dege Peak to watch the sun rise.
We hit the trail at 4:00 a.m., guided only by headlamps. In the darkness, with Mount Rainier at our backs, all we could see was the narrow ribbon of trail inside the halo of light in front of us.
When we reached the top of Sourdough Ridge, I stopped, switched off my headlamp, and turned around. The others followed. There were audible gasps.
Before us stood Mount Rainier, glowing in pale silver light. The full moon was setting over the glaciated peak. A few stubborn stars still lingered in a soft blue sky. For many in our group, it was the first time they had ever seen the mountain. We stood transfixed as long as we dared, then turned back to the trail. No one switched their headlamp on again. We kept looking back, soaking in the ever-changing view.
That moment feels like a picture of Expedition 2025.
Over the past month, this campaign has been a journey to fuel the mission and fund the future of Sunset Lake Camp. Our goal is to raise $130,000 by year-end to support essential needs across camp—facility improvements, camper scholarships, The Ranch, and staffing. Thanks to many generous partners, we’ve come a long way. But there is still trail ahead.
Perhaps now is the right moment to look back—to remember where we’ve come from and how God has faithfully led this ministry.
Since 1957, Sunset Lake Camp has been a place where campers and guests step away from the noise of the world and encounter the love of God in creation. That first summer, campers slept in tents, bathed in the lake, and practiced simple outdoor skills. There were no wake boats, no horses, no challenge course—just quiet moments with God.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of campers and guests have passed through our gates, and countless lives have been changed.
I once sat with a man who told me, through tears, how a counselor at Sunset Lake changed his life more than 40 years ago. Another couple shared how, in answer to prayer, a family of otters moved into Sunset Lake—eliminating the goldfish that threatened the health of the lake and saving camp from a costly lawsuit. I’ve heard the story many times of how God intervened in the construction of our entrance road, prompting contractors to begin work just in time. Had they waited, the county would never have allowed it to be built.
In my 20 years serving at Sunset Lake, I have seen God do remarkable things. Together, we’ve raised over half a million dollars for camper scholarships. Since 2017, a bell has hung in main camp—rung only when a camper gives their life to Christ. That bell has rung more than 2,000 times. When the Timber Lodge truss failed, God provided the right contractor at the right moment to restore one of our last original buildings. When we desperately needed indoor gathering space, God provided a gymnasium. And now, we’ve begun a three-year journey to renovate our original lakeside cabins into the Rainier Family Village.
As we turn our faces toward the future, we do so with confidence. Yes—costs are rising. Budgets are tightening. Challenges surround us. But the God who has been faithful for 68 years will be faithful still.
So let’s turn off our headlamps. Let’s look beyond what’s immediately in front of us. And let’s lift our eyes to the God who formed the mountains.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1–2
As we continue this journey, we invite you to be part of what God is doing at Sunset Lake. Your gift to Expedition 2025 helps ensure that campers and guests will continue to encounter God’s grace, community, adventure, and belonging for generations to come. Thank you for walking this trail with us—and for helping fuel the mission and fund the future of Sunset Lake Camp.
