WILD GUYde Adventures LLC

Thrilled to introduce our WILD GUYde Adventures Challenge Coin! If you have adventured with us, you know that we always offer a momento after the trip (Outdoor Safety tag, info card, WGA sticker or patch). If you are military, veteran, law enforcement at any level, or first responder, we can now offer you this option. Thank you for your service!

Second road trip of the spring found me at Whipps Ledges in the Hinckley Reservation of Cleveland MetroParks (vertical sandstone in Ohio - who would have thought?!) A 3-day PCIA Top Rope Climbing Instructor course, sandwiched by a recert day (congrats to Ashley, Dan and Jennifer) and a successful certification exam day (congrats to Christopher and Courtney). Thank you to the folks at Cleveland MetroParks and Rec2Connect for fun, learning, and hospitality. And kudos to these current and aspirant climbing guides for skill development, companionship, and enthusiastic hard work.

Here are our Open Registration trips coming up this summer, through our partnership with Parks and Rec. Depts. from Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Shenandoah County, Augusta County, Staunton, Orange County, and Greene County. Hope you can jump aboard one or several. Register with whichever Parks and Rec. Dept. is most convenient for you, and bring a friend or family member along!

Sat., June 27 (9 AM – 5 PM): Parent-Kid Beginner Rock Climbing in the George Washington Ntl. Forest; a full day of learning to climb and belay; children ages 7-11 accompanied by a parent/guardian; all technical gear is provided; a personal suggested clothing list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup will be supplied by WILD GUYde Adventures after registration.
Sat., July 11 (8:30 AM -noon): Intermediate Wild Caving near Bridgewater VA; this is a wild caving trip for individuals who have been on a WGA Beginner Caving trip in the past, and are ready to go a little more strenuous and adventurous; ages 12 through adult (teens may attend unaccompanied, but their transportation must be provided by a parent or guardian); all technical gear is provided; a personal suggested clothing list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup will be supplied by WILD GUYde Adventures after registration.
Sat. July 25 (9 AM – 4 PM): Campcraft and Outdoor Survival Skills; a full day in the George Washington Ntl. Forest learning fire-building, shelter construction, and some back-country navigation skills; useful for hunters, day-hikers and backpackers, mountain bikers, and anyone else who likes to wander off the beaten path. For ages 14 through adult (Teens may attend unaccompanied, but their transportation must be provided by a parent or guardian). After registration, WILD GUYde Adventures will supply a What to Bring list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup.
Sat. Aug. 1 (8:30 AM – noon): Parent-Kid Beginner Wild Caving near Bridgewater VA; a morning of learning basic caving safety, underground navigation, and some elementary limestone geology; children ages 7-11, and accompanied by a parent/guardian; all technical gear is provided; a personal suggested clothing list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup will be supplied by WILD GUYde Adventures after registration.

For Seniors 50 and older/wiser: These events are paced and scaled to be age-appropriate. They do not require super-athletic ability, but participants should be reasonably active, without significant movement limitations (significant overweightedness or low fitness, mobility or musculo-skeletal restrictions). We will enjoy being together in the outdoors, and we will not be comparing ourselves to twenty-somethings!
Benefits to jumping aboard:
• spending time in our gorgeous and local outdoors;
• being with others who like movement and fun;
• adding to your learning about outdoor safety and activity skills;
• and possibly some new clothing! Participate in 3 or more of these Senior Adventures and receive the WILD GUYde Adventures OLD MOUNTAIN GOAT* t-shirt, along with all the rights, privileges, and adulation pertaining thereto!
(*Gets Out And Tries Stuff!)

Fri. June 26 (9 AM – 1 PM): Little Stony Man hike in Shenandoah Ntl. Park; Hike up to this gorgeous west-facing overlook, snack or picnic lunch, and then return. This 3 mile hike is considered Moderate (“Generally suitable for novice hikers seeking a bit of a challenge.”) We will also talk about general outdoor and hiking safety. A What to Bring list, a link to the Med Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions will be supplied after registration. There will be an entry fee into SNP (or bring your National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass).
Fri., July 17 (2 - 5 PM): Paddling at Lake Shenandoah or Switzer Dam in the George Washington Ntl. Forest; an afternoon session to learn basic paddle-strokes, partnering, and boat-handling skills (canoe and kayak) on flatwater, and enjoy some peaceful paddling in this beautiful setting. Bring and enjoy your bag lunch on the lake-bank afterwards. All technical gear and instruction is provided; a personal suggested clothing list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup will be supplied by WILD GUYde Adventures after registration.
Tues., Aug. 18 (1 – 5 PM): Backcountry Navigation Clinic: An afternoon of learning and practicing map and compass skills out in the George Washington Ntl. Forest; for day-hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, hunters, scout leaders, and anyone else who likes to wander off the beaten path. A personal clothing list, Medical Form/Participant Agreement, and driving directions to the activity meetup will be provided by WILD GUYde Adventures after registration.

How can we work to take a random group of people and begin to build a TEAM? What defines TEAM? How about "shared purpose" - working toward one goal? The spring edition of GUYdelines addresses this leadership task - articulating and then maintaining shared purpose to get your group TEAMING together. https://www.wildguyde.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/afewthoughts.pdf GUYdelines is my quarterly e-newsletter for outdoor lovers and leaders. Read the article, and then REPLY back with your thoughts and contemplations. If you want to receive GUYdelines as soon as it is released each quarter. send me an email at [email protected]. Happy leading out there!

These women represent VWIL - Virginia Women in Leadership - the only all female cadet corps in the US, housed at Mary Baldwin University. Now they also represent PCIA (Professional Climbing Instructors Assoc.), having completed training to become Climbing Wall Instructors. Best wishes ladies as you share the "vertical world" with future cadets, and complete this part of your educational journey toward becoming leaders!

Grand visit last week up to our friends at Pine Valley Bible Camp in western PA for Climbing Staff Training. We spent Day 1 on the rocks at McConnell's Mill State Park, and then a rainy Day 2 putting the cherry on top of our training at the PVBC indoor climbing wall. I reconnected with friend Steffan, formerly at Horizon Christian Fellowship and now on full-time camp staff. And I met the LARGE Camp Bear. Blessings as you expand your climbing program and minister to Pittsburg's kids and youth this summer!

https://apnews.com/article/presidential-fitness-test-award-trump-8b1d49c50ddbed38814f4fca22d75d52

The Presidential Physical Fitness Award is back as Trump revives annual fitness test in US schools President Donald Trump is reviving the Presidential Physical Fitness Award as he reintroduces a competitive physical fitness test in America's schools.

Beautiful spring day on the mountain, visiting the High K**b Fire Tower in the George Washington Ntl. Forest! This was our second adventure of the spring season for Seniors (50 and Wiser). We learned about poison ivy, White Pine, Striped Maple (the "toilet paper of the woods"), and the difference between national parks and national forests. We also attempted bouldering on the tower wall, and had a conversation about Stupidity: How Some People Get Hurt in the Outdoors. Finally, We had two more members added to the Old Mountain GOATS Club (3 or more adventure trips with WILD GUYde).
Our final senior adventure of the Spring season is the NROCKS Via Ferrata (May 6) in West Virginia (very strenuous). Recently released Summer Senior Adventures are Little Stony Man Hike (June 26), Lake Shenandoah Paddling afternoon (July 17), and Backcountry Navigation Clinic (Aug. 18). You're as young as you behave! Happy adventuring!

Most honest and thoughtful leaders who have been leading for a while will admit to, at some point, either creating or contributing to an organizational problem. I call this "being ambushed by myself," and it is the subject of the winter issue of GUYdelines. Here is the link if you have time for a 10 minute read-and-reflect.https://www.wildguyde.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Vol-19-No-2-Ambushed-by-Myself.pdf Think of it as your first professional/personal development experience of the New Year! GUYdelines is my quarterly e-newsletter about leadership and learning issues. You can check out past issues at https://www.wildguyde.com/learning-and-leadership-resources/

If you really want to go the next step in leadership learning, consider reading my recent book release Better to be Aware than Smart: an Outdoor Guide on Leading in the Mountains and Other Places (2022). GET IN TOUCH if you are interested in purchasing a copy ([email protected] or 540-433-1637).

What are you going to do for your body and your health in 2026? I made the change a number of years ago from making New Year's Resolutions to crafting Annual Goals. The difference between a Resolution and a Goal is that a Goal has a PLAN attached, to put wheels on it "A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A HOPE!" Here are a few thoughts and quotes to stimulate your thinking (and eventually your body) to get active this coming year. The photos feature silver-haired folks like me, since during 2025, we inaugurated our Old Mountain Goats Club. But this encouragement to take your health seriously applies to every age. Hope to see you at the gym and outdoors in 2026!

- "Physical activity is the cure for most modern ailments."
- "People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness." (John Wanamaker)
- "Walking is man’s best medicine." (Hippocrates)-
- "What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever knowing the strength and beauty of which his body is capable." (Socrates)
- "Motion is lotion."