Our final planning meeting for the Mt Rogers Backpacking trip is this Wednesday, August 11^th at 8:30 at Grace Baptist Church. Please come with your pack fully loaded including food and water. We will go through the equipment list to insure you have everything you need, including knowing who you will be sharing equipment with, and weigh the packs so you know how much you are carrying. Reminder… the trip will begin immediately after church on Sunday, August 15^th. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Doug Jackson at dougandshauna@verizon.net or 339-2876.

Extreme Grace Backpacking Planning Meeting #2

Wednesday, July 7^th at 8:30pm

Grace Baptist Church in Troy, OH

Join us for the second of three planning meetings. We will be going over the gear list and ensuring you’ve got a plan on what you are going to be using (borrowing or buying). If you did not make it to the first planning meeting, we will go over the trip itineraries.

Please contact Pete Savard (pete.savard@ghslogistics.com) if you are planning on attending the Shenandoah Trip on July 15 (evening) through July 19.

Please contact Doug Jackson (dougandshauna@verizon.net) if you have not yet signed up for the Mt. Rogers trip on August 15 through August 18.

Check out the Extreme Grace Website (www.graceoutdoor.net) to see trip reports from these trips that have been taken in the past. You won’t want to miss the adventure this year.

Backpacking Planning Meeting #1

The first of three planning meetings for both backpacking trips is scheduled for Wednesday June 16th at 8:30 pm at Grace Baptist Church. For those planning to attend one or both of the trips or simply considering a trip, please attend. If you have any questions please contact Doug Jackson at 937-339-2876.

Extreme Grace Facebook shortcut

Attention Facebook fans! Extreme Grace Outdoor now has a shorter link on Facebook. Change your bookmarks to www.facebook.com/graceoutdoor.
And don't forget to share with your friends!

Mt Rogers Backpacking Trip Report

Extreme Grace sent 8 backpackers on the Appalachian Trail to Mt Rogers in Southern Virginia. Shawn "Jumper" Hess, Jim "Cowboy" Miller, Brian "Hairspray" Harshman, Tim "Lost Boy #1"Mercer, Matt "Lost Boy #2" Carey, Dan "Chef" McElwee, Nick "Da Funk" Anderson and Allen "Moses" Lundy set off on what would become an unforgettable adventure. The nicknames above are trail names and will be referred to in the rest of the report. Trail names are given on the trail for some aspect of your trip and become a part of your adventure.

We arrived later than usual due to a feeding frenzy we decided to have right before getting on the trail. We knew the next few days would be rough as far as food goes so we decided to load up on a couple dozen McDonalds Big and Greasys before hitting the trail. This turned out to be a bad decision for 2 reasons. The first was it put us at the put in way later than we would have liked so we ended up hiking to our first nights camp in the dark. This didn't dampen our spirits at all though, we were well up for the challenge. The second reason was a little more severe. 8 guys loaded with Big and Greasys, chased with some trail mix and beef jerky made for a "musical" and potentially deadly campfire.









It is for this reason I carry my own tent and don't share. Jumper and Da Funk were not so lucky as they shared. Poor guys...
The next morning welcomed us with plentiful sunshine and promised to be a great day for hiking. It was a crisp 2 mile uphill climb to our first break spot on Pine Mountain. It was here that Cowboy discovered that someone had put a football in his pack. Although we had a good time passing it around, Cowboy is a man of great order and procedure and was quite put out and wanted to see justice served. Even though I never joke or play pranks and am always serious and upfront with the group I was blamed for this breech of backpacker etiquette and the group sentenced me to stand on my hands for 1 hour on top of Pine Mountain. I didn't want a mutiny on my hands so I went along with this unjust punishment knowing I was innocent. (We later found out the culprit was Doug Jackson, undoubtedly bitter at not being able to go on the trip) Punishment served we continued on the trail. Our lunch stop was at a place called the Scales where we regrouped once again to enjoy some yummy trail vittles.
















Jumper had prepped for the trip by watching Survivorman all week and found some strange mushrooms growing and we think he had a hearty feast of this bounty of nature. We weren't sure if they were safe to eat or not but he seemed fine, except he started acting all crazy jumping from peak to peak.









He was fine afterward and we continued on our way. The rest of the day was very pleasant until we get to camp and find the the 2 Lost Boys had taken an alternate route. They seemed to have a little difficulty following the white blazed trail which made us wonder if they had gotten into Jumper's mushrooms. Several hours later though, they wandered into camp and all was well.
As it turned out, this is one of the few pictures we have of one of the Lost Boys cause they spent so much time being lost we were unable to document their hike. I think maybe they enjoyed the hike so much they wanted to take every trail in the area.








Day 3 - Tuesday. This was to be the highlight of our trip. We were to climb up the mountain range of the Grayson Highlands area which provides the most spectacular scenery in the area.







Part of this area is the Wilburn Ridge trail which takes us up the most challenging, yet rewarding part of the trip, a section of the trail that required some bouldering.

Da Funk was not to be fazed by the climb and showed us all the kind of determination he had.





We stayed behind for awhile to make sure everyone made the Wilburn Ridge intersection and learned that the Lost Boys were at it again. They decided to take some horse trail to who knows where. We decided our best course of action would be to go to higher ground to see if we could spot them somewhere. Upon reaching the top we were met by a wise guru. He shared with us how to stop the global warming crisis and the answers to the health care debacle. We told him what we would really like to know was where the Lost Boys were but he was unable to help us with that problem.




After awhile the Lost Boys found their way to the top and we were once again reunited. Pastor Shawn treated us to a devotional that was fantastic. Hearing God's word while seeing that view was simply amazing. The rocks truly cry out in praise of our God.











This same area is also known for the wild horses that live there. We saw many on this day and were able to get up close for some pictures. This proved to be a mistake. One horse in particular, "Tina Turner" enjoyed having her picture taken so much that she told the herd where we were camping that night.









"Tina" and the rest of the herd was waiting for us when we got to camp that night.









Of course I'm only guessing it was "Tina's" camera obsession, maybe it was Da Funks socks that attracted them.












The next morning was pretty uneventful as we hiked out. The Lost Boys didn't disappoint however and gave us another pretty good scare by turning a 2 hour hike into 6 hours. At the end everyone made it safe and sound and a good time was had by all.

Shenandoah Backpacking Trip - Trip Report

Six backpackers, Pete Savard, Shawn Hess, Jim Miller, Allen Lundy, Steve Jackson and Bob Isreal set out for a little adventure in the beautiful mountains of Shenandoah National Park. It was to be 22 miles of some of the most punishing terrain on the planet with enough vertical climb that if you put it all together we would have finished our hike on the moon. The horror stories Pete shared with us from his previous trip (Pete's Crevasse and Dehydration Mountain) did little to dampen our spirits or sense of adventure but rather motivated us for the challenge ahead. This trip was not without its casualties either as it would turn out. Steve Jackson who was previously hampered by a bone spur in his heal, reinjured it and was unable to continue after the first day. Little did we know at the time how that scenario would play out. More on that to come.
It was rumored there were pygmy leprechaun hikers in the area but we didn't notice any. Fortunately Pete's superb camera skills were able to capture one on film.












After hiking and enjoying a series of waterfalls and cliffs we were ready for a break. Many of the waterfalls formed natural water slides and Shawn was the first to show us how it was done.

And here he tries to swim up one of the waterfalls like a salmon.

After our break we felt rejuvinated and ready to go. We had underestimated at this time how demanding the trail was and paid for our play stop. We were now tired and the trail took an uphill swing. For the next several hours we hiked uphill. Just when we thought we couldn't go anymore we pull into our first nights camp. Pete and Jim thought they found the fountain of youth but as it turned out it was just a spring. We were still happy though as we were still thinking of Pete's "Dehydration Mountain" story.

The next morning we got up and began packing for the Old Rag Loop. You would have thought we were all in our 90's by the way we were moving. Our joints felt and sounded like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz after he got rained on. That didn't discourage us though and off we went. The Old Rag Loop was an 8 mile loop that summited on the highlight of our trip. The first 2 miles were all downhill and very relaxing. The next 4 1/2 though turned back up and gave us all a new definition for the word pain. It was well worth it as the views were simply majestic.

Though the trail was quite challenging in spots we were rewarded with amazing spots to take a break.


Nor was the trail safe. Not only were there many places where one wrong step could be disastrous, we had to watch for falling rocks. Here a small rock falls onto our path but fortunately I was able to catch it and throw it out of the way so no one was hurt.

After this near miss we continued on. Jim Miller and Bob Isreal had decided to make this some kind of Iron Man challenge and jogged the whole trip so they didn't make any of the pictures. I'm not sure what happened to them as they did the trip in record time. Pete, Shawn and I took a much slower trip so I can only provide our side of the trip.
After a long, arduous journey we finally hit the summit and wow!, what a payoff. 360 degree views for as far as the eye could see. It was simply stunning.

As awesome as the summit was we were pretty tired and the thought of the long hike down was more than we could bear. I wasn't thinking clearly and thought it would be much faster if I were to just base jump off the top and meet the guys back at camp. In my weakened state of mind I didn't realize I didn't have a parachute.

Fortunately a storm was blowing in at this time and the gusting winds blew me back onto the ledge where Shawn and Pete were able to talk some sense into me. So off we go racing the storm and rain back to camp. We made it with no other incidents and found our 2 iron men partners, Jim and Bob waiting for us.
After a quick lunch we start off for the hike out up Red Oak Canyon which I think should be renamed "The steepest hike in the world canyon". We're already more broken and tired than we've ever been in our lives with the exception of Jim and Bob who for some reason didn't seem to be phased by the rough country. That reminds me I'm going to have to test them for performance enhancing steroids...anyway back to the trip...
I don't remember a lot about the hike up Red Oak as I was delusional most of the time. All I can remember is thinking how much each step hurt only to look up to see miles more ahead. Iron Men Jim and Bob continued their jog and were soon far, far ahead. Shawn and I lost Pete as well when we stumbled upon a true gem of nature. The grandest natural water slide I've ever seen. Over 50' of smooth granite plunging into a pool of crystal clear water. As tired as we were Shawn and I could not pass up this bounty of nature.

After a little while of playing Shawn and I decided it was time to put the packs back on and continue up the mountain. Things really become a blur by this time. As fun as the water slide was it took energy that we didn't have. Once we put our packs back on we were crushed with despair. What seemed like an eternity later we pop out of a clearing and there are the other guys waiting for us. Shawn and I both collapse on the side of the road and refused to take another step. Shawn said "If a bear comes he can just decide which one of us to eat cause I'm not moving". It was a 4 mile hike back to the van and there was no way it was going to happen. I didn't even have the energy to set up my tent and had just come to peace with sleeping on the side of the road wearing my pack when all of a sudden....Steve! Glorious Steve Jackson comes pulling up in the van! I was sure I was hallucinating and was angry at my mind for playing such a cruel trick on me. I look over to see the guys high fiving each other, Shawn crawling on his hands and knees toward the van and realize this is real.

God provides in mysterious ways.

Join us for another family-friendly hike Saturday!

Come join us for a another hike at Brukner or Englewood. We'll be meeting at Grace at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 18th and carpooling from there. Bring the kids and whole family! Questions? Email Erica Baer.

See you there! (The Lundy kids are ready to go again and want some friends to come along!)

Shenandoah Backpacking Trip

Mark your calendars July 29th - August 1st for another backpacking trip, this one to the awesome Shenandoah Mountains. This trip is open to both men and women but is for experienced backpackers only. Men, if this is your first time you should consider the Men's trip to Mt Rogers in August. The 2nd backpackers meeting, July 26th will be the final meeting for this trip so come with a full pack to that meeting and we'll do our shake down at that time. This is a 27 mile trip with over 10,000 ft of elevation change with some climbing/bouldering required. Bring your A game for this one. Contact Allen Lundy 937-216-6935 if interested.

Join us for another family-friendly hike!

Come join us for a another hike at Brukner or Englewood. We'll be meeting at Grace at 10:30 AM and carpooling from there. Bring the kids and whole family! Questions? Email Erica Baer.

See you there! (The Lundy kids are certainly pumped and ready!)