Post by Deacon Lud on Jun 21, 2012 9:10:55 GMT -5
"He would withdraw into the Wilderness to pray." Luke 5:16
This past weekend my two sons (16 and 17) and I attended the Into the Wild Men's Outdoor Retreat at Raccoon Creek State Park in Western Pennsylvania. Although this type of retreat is certainly not for everyone, I can recommend it to those who have an affinity for camping/hunting/fishing.
First the Good Points:
1. The food - Outstanding and lots of it
2. Perpetual Adoration in a dedicated Cabin/Adoration Chapel
3. Orienteering - very cool team building (building the Kingdom) exercise in the Woods
4. The Chapel in the woods, built during the retreat by a team of retreatants - very impressive
5. The "FEAST" - Saturday evening meal, all cooked outside, 2 whole pigs in a pit, about a dozed grilled whole turkeys and about a dozen grilled whole fillets, baked potatoes, corn on cob, baked sweet potatoes, 3 kinds of desert, a real MANLY meal
6. The shooting range: One rifle (22) and 5 handguns. My sons were in heaven (very well monitored)
7. Last but rather than "not least" actually the MOST - Fr. Mike Zavage - the retreat chaplain. Let me just put it in the words of my sons in the car on the way home: "dad, he is the coolest priest we have ever met!" WAY COOL!
The not so good:
1. The cabins - very primitive, bug and vermin teeming
2. The showers - see cabins above
3. The beds: and I use that term loosely. My back is still recovering from that medieval torture device
4. The fishing: nothing was biting but hey, that's fishing
5. The talks: other than Fr. Joe Freedy's talk, generally underwhelming.
6. Over-programed: No downtime, late nights, no time to just go adore in the woods or at the chapel.
7. "Training by Torchlight" - end of day event - went too late and as my son's said, just a bunch of "sob stories". Not really the best for younger guys.
More here for those interested:
www.thekingsmen.org/IntoTheWildWeekend