“When we retreat into the wilderness we encounter the wilderness of our heart, that wilderness which only Christ can navigate.”

With a profound passion for creation and He who created it, Jacob Gruber studied the liberal arts at Wyoming Catholic College for three years and then transferred to Franciscan University of Steubenville to receive his undergraduate degree in Theology and Philosophy, class of 2016. Jacob grew up in Colorado spending much of his childhood fishing, climbing, and hiking in the beauty of creation. He is a graduate of SROM, SOLO, and the Wilderness Medicine Institute with NOLS. He has instructed courses in backpacking and climbing, but has a particular love for whitewater. He is always up for discussion about theology and those things that are truly Good and Beautiful in life, especially when floating down a river immersed in God’s creation.

“The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards ever wider horizons.” — St. John Paul II