Gorilla History
The Gorilla trips began in 1984, born out of a love for skiing and a strong desire to provide an opportunity for Christian fellowship and witness. For the first eight years, all of our trips were to Taos, New Mexico. We loved it there. It was the Gorilla's home away from home. There was always great, challenging skiing and it was an easy drive... a quick 11 hours from home.
The first two trips were quite different from the trips we take today. They were coed trips on a "sleeper bus". We would travel all Thursday night, ski three days, and travel back Sunday night, ready to go to work Monday morning. We stayed in cheap motels; economy was the most important feature. We had no meals, no activities...
We finally decided that it was easier to just go with "just the guys". When we left the wives and the kids at home, we could have a great time together and do some serious skiing! Our numbers started out very small, usually only two or three vans forming a Gorilla convoy. During our fourth trip, a friend mentioned that we looked like "Gorillas in the Mist" skiing down the mountain in reckless abandon. The Gorilla name stuck fast... it became our motto... our mission... our identity.
The next year, Bill Holt had the bright idea to buy matching caps so we could identify our group (about 25 by this time). He selected a lovely PINK color, which we proudly wore for a couple of years. The pink gave way to the neon yellow we use today so it could be more easily recognized. We wanted to stand out... did we ever! The Silly Yellow Hat became an important part of the Gorilla tradition! T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets were added in subsequent years to complete the Gorilla wardrobe.
We began adding a few activities to the agenda, but the basic focus was "ski 'til you drop". The Sunday worship service on the mountain was generally the highlight event of the week. Everyone took care of his own needs. No meals, no meetings, and no hassles! However, the last two years we were at Taos, we decided to bring a smoker and cook a Bar-B-Q supper for the entire group on Saturday night. We used the fellowship hall of the First Baptist Church. We gave away a few gag gifts and had some drawings for prizes. It was great! So much fun that we began to see the potential for expanding our fellowship horizons.
As our group became larger, it became increasingly difficult to find suitable, Gorilla-like accommodations in Taos. We decided to take a chance and move the trip to Colorado. This was a very difficult decision for us to make, as it would require extending our van convoy for at least another six hours. The VIGs were created to take the heat for the move if it did not work out... also for character, wisdom, and leadership. (Then we selected Keith Patton). The VIGs have become the decision-makers, direction-givers and the key to success for each subsequent Gorilla trip!
In January of 1993, we brought the Gorillas to Winter Park. We found a quaint, rustic lodge about ten miles out of town that would "uncomfortably" house about seventy Gorillas. The accommodations were dormitory style; just right for Gorillas. Since there were no restaurants in the area, we provided the meals. And, since we were far from town, we had to think of activities to do each evening to provide our own entertainment.
We had a blast! In many ways, that was the best trip we have ever had. So many traditions that we keep today were started on that trip. It was there that we began to realize the full potential of what the Gorilla trip had to offer... Christian men, sharing fun and fellowship and faith!