We are a Christian ministry whose mission is to use rescue training and wilderness survival training to inspire men, women and children from all walks of life to live for Jesus with all their heart, mind, body and soul.  Much of our culture encourages focus on “self,”  while we encourage students to be more like Jesus and expand their concerns to include those around them.

Wilderness Way Adventures is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization.  We are funded by a combination of training fees, scholarships, and gifts from people who believe in our ministry. Contributions are tax-deductible, so we hope you will consider supporting us with your donations so that we may continue providing affordable programs.

The skills and knowledge students acquire from Wilderness Way Adventures provide self-confidence in an outdoor setting, teach students to work with and show compassion for others, while at the same time offering a fun and challenging experience and the opportunity to form lasting friendships.

• We will come to a training area designated by you.   Hometown, tailor-made outdoor programs are available upon request throughout North America. Just let us know what, when and where you’d like to schedule training and we’ll provide the instructor.  You might find this more advantageous because it can greatly reduce your costs, plus, you’ll learn how to survive or save survivors in your own neck of the woods.  Just put together a group of interested folks and give us a call to set up a personalized training experience.
• Each custom program session is designed specifically according to the group’s request and needs.   What we teach and how we teach it is dependant on the audience’s ability level and what they desire to learn.  A Wilderness Survival program for a group of 50 family members with young children is necessarily going to be different than a program for 10 adults.  Each group has substantially different abilities and desired outcomes.
• We are the only Christian outdoor program we know of offering certification.  Our training and instruction meets the criteria outlined in N.F.P.A. 1670 for Technical Rescue in Swiftwater and Rope.   Successful completion and certification qualifies our students to be part of a volunteer rescue team in the United States.

Our program fees are very low.  Friends of Wilderness Way Adventures regularly support the ministry with their tax-deductible contributions, which, combined with program donations, makes it possible to offer subsidized training and instruction.

To combine spiritual and outdoor training that will encourage our students to make lifelong decisions for the Lord; to teach challenging, practical outdoor skills focusing on wilderness survival and search & rescue that will go beyond the wilderness setting into everyday life; to foster an appreciation of the wilderness through education; to build a student’s sense of self-confidence in their ability to function in the outdoor environment; to have fun!

Wilderness Way Adventures was formed in 1988 by Mike Lowe, after serving eight years with the U.S. Air Force as a Survival School Instructor.  During his Air Force career, Mike trained pilots in the necessary skills to survive in the wilderness until rescued, should their aircraft be shot down over enemy territory.  Since childhood, Mike has enjoyed the challenges of the outdoors and his Air Force experience not only deepened that love, but also fostered his desire to continue teaching others how to experience the wilderness in a unique, safe and helpful way. 

From teaching Wilderness Survival, it was a natural progression to add Search and Rescue training to the curriculum.  In 2000, Mike welcomed physician Michael Duehrssen and physician’s assistant Mark Foster as instructors.  In 2004, Wilderness Way Adventures collaborated with Union College in Nebraska to form the first four-year Bachelor of Science degree specializing in International Rescue and Relief, with Michael Duehrssen as the Program Head.  Wilderness Way Adventures provides the survival/search & rescue portions of the student training each year, both overseas and in U.S.  To learn more about this exciting program, visit the International Rescue and Relief website.

Our programs are Bible based and outreach oriented.  We believe a relationship with Jesus, built on study and witnessing, is a necessary survival tool.  Morning and evening worships, as well as individual devotional time, are a regular part of Wilderness Way’s daily programs.  Students are encouraged to spend time deepening their relationship with Jesus.  Our goal is to help others experience the joy of helping others.

• Wilderness Way Adventures has an impeccable safety record.   There have been no accidents or serious injuries since it’s inception in 1988
• Staff members are trained in CPR, Wilderness First Responder (WFR) exceeding the state’s requirements for medical training
• Instructors are taught to use conservative judgment when determining group activities—keeping student health and safety as first priority
• Each student is properly outfitted with the highest quality gear
• Staff regularly attend workshops, conferences and seminars in wilderness medicine and search and rescue techniques
• Satellite phones, two-way radios, and GPS units, are used for emergency contact
• 24-hour on-call medical staff are available for emergency services
• In emergency situations, Wilderness Way has access to support from EMS (Emergency Medical Service).

Mike Lowe is the founder of Wilderness Way Adventures, Inc. and has been teaching outdoor skills professionally since 1980.  He began his career with the U.S. Air Force Survival School and has worked with hundreds of men, women and children from all walks of life since then.  He has also served the Church as a youth and associate pastor. Mike holdsan AA in Wilderness Survival, an AA in Search and Rescue, a BA in Pastoral Ministry, a Master of Theology in Biblical Studies, and he is a certified survival and rescue technician and instructor.  Mike loves the Lord and founded Wilderness Way Adventures as a ministry to reach as many youth and adults as possible. 

Mark Foster is a graduate of the Physician’s Assistant School at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is a certified Rescue 3 instructor.   Mark is a member of the local SAR team, is an active member in his church and is an avid rock and ice climber, river rafter, and canyoneer.   He currently works in the Emergency Room of Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colorado. 

Michael Duehrssen is an accomplished downhill skier, rock climber, and has summitted many of the world’s highest peaks. He is a graduate of Loma Linda University with a degree in medicine, specializing as an emergency medicine physician. He is a search and rescue technician and instructor, a volunteer fire fighter, and has lectured extensively on wilderness medicine.  Michael also served as Director of International Rescue and Relief at Union College.

Thank you so much for coming to teach me survival skills!  It was a dream come true.  It was tough but it was awesome.  I also felt that I received spritual and mental benefits from the training.  Loved your exciting stories and hope we can do this again sometime. —Ritchie Hammen

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a summer class offered by WWA in conjunction with Pacific Union College. The classes offered were taught in a very professional manner with humor mixed in to keep it interesting. All of the instructors were patient, competent, and safety conscious while providing excellent one on one training with the students. One aspect of the course that I found beneficial was how the focus was placed on Jesus and His "rescue" of humanity. This was interjected into all aspects of the course and was visible in the lives of the instructors. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind living in a tent for more than a week. Thank you WWA for your dedication to quality outdoor/rescue education. —Levi Gore

WWA is like no experience I had before in my entire life. I know when I heard the word "camping" I figured this class is going to be a breeze! I was completely incorrect! Since this was my first experience "camping" I just thought campfires, swimming in the lake, and hiking. Boy I was wrong! I remember the first day of class when Mark (one of our instructors) said to us, "This class is meant for you to get you out of your comfort zone...and if we don't then you have to tell us to make sure we do." That's a sentence I don't think I have heard in my life. But it sure did motivate me through this whole course. My motto this trip was "Never pass up an opportunity!" It totally worked to my advantage! My friends on the trip who soon became my family, we had a ball together everywhere we went! We were the tourist from Angwin, CA. From waking up and heading to the campfires and listening to our amazing funny instructor Mike Lowe, then to Barbara (Mike's wife) spectacular meals she cooks for us crazy kids, then heading to either the Animas River or to "X" Rock or just hanging around camp learning about survival techniques made my day definitely busy and exciting! Becoming a team with your fellow classmates and teachers and really learning to work together with every task Mike and Mark threw our way may sometimes be challenging and you feel as though you might want to give up, but you and always ask God for guidance, strength and wisdom and he will always be there for you in your hard times and your amazingly good times! This trip definitely helped me grow with God as a Daughter of Christ and really gave me an amazing outlook on how to really appreciate and love the things God blesses you with! Thanks you Mike, Mark and Barbara because you 3 have shined God's light this whole trip and never stop being his vessels for Him in spreading his word! —Ari Duran