AZ Family (November 10, 2020) by Max Gordon

A hike for a good cause nearly turned deadly for a Phoenix pastor and his daughter while the two were trekking on the Arizona Trail.

Dream City Church Senior Pastor Luke Barnett and his daughter, 20-year-old Annalee, were hiking the 800 miles to raise money for the Colorado City Dream Center, which helps victims of polygamy and human trafficking. It’s run out of the former compound of the infamous polygamist Warren Jeffs.

They were raising money for the Colorado City Dream Center, which helps victims of polygamy and human trafficking.

“We made a commitment. And there are churches all across America who have sponsored us to finish this trail,” Pastor Barnett said.

The hike started on Sept. 27, and things had been going well.

“Our plan was to do it in 40 days. Twenty miles every single day,” Luke Barnett said.

But 500 miles in on Halloween, there was trouble on the trail.

“They’re estimating this boulder was about 8 to 10,000 pounds,” Luke Barnett said.

“They’re estimating this boulder was about 8 to 10,000 pounds,” Luke Barnett said.

As they scrambled into a wash, the two dislodged a boulder. The pastor pushed his daughter away right before it fell on him.

“It broke my forearm. It broke three of my ribs. It broke my femur. And my hip,” Luke Barnett said.

Annalee Barnett took her father’s message to heart. Along with a new hiking partner, she is now scheduled to finish the Arizona Trail this Saturday, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for women in need in the process.

“We called the whole campaign ‘Adventure Your Life,’ but it turned into being, really, the miracle of our life that we’re even alive today,” Luke Barnett said.

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