Adventure Ministry - Mineral Creek - August 2025
Hiking Mineral Creek with the Wilderness Ministry
There’s something about getting out into the wild that has a way of stripping things down to what matters. Last weekend, four of us—Corey, Jim, Stacey, and Aaron—headed out to Alma, NM, to hike the Mineral Creek Trail as part of The Village Church’s Wilderness Ministry.
To be honest, “creek” might’ve been a stretch. What we found was a bone-dry bed with just a few puddles holding on here and there. Still, even with the lack of running water, the canyon walls and the raw beauty of the land spoke loudly. The weather threatened to shut us down a couple of times, with thunder rumbling in the distance, but thankfully we stayed dry the whole way.
This trip, we carried along an axe—not just for chopping wood, but as a tool for something deeper. Together, we gathered around some old dead logs, took turns splitting them, and let that act symbolize the things we’ve been carrying that we need to release. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was space to be honest with one another. It was heavy at moments, but good. Really good. The men followed Module One, which can be heard about here.
And of course, no trip to Alma is complete without stopping at The Alma Grill. Not only did we eat there once—we went twice. And yes, both times included pie. One of those times was even breakfast pie, which felt like a small victory worth celebrating.
Looking back, the days weren’t about the dryness of the creek or the thunder we managed to dodge. It was about being together, about chopping away at the things that weigh us down, and about finding joy (and pie) in the midst of it all.
