Tag Archives: Adventurefest

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Adventurefest 2025 Surviving the Storm

The prayerful starts.

I always post on Adventurefest every year because it is such a great gathering of Christian, outdoor oriented men. The Boyer’s Pond Campground serves as the venue, and Greg Nass and his team hit a home run every year with activities like mountain biking, hiking, fishing, Harley rides, and even a welding tutorial. But more importantly, some thought provoking messages by his talented roster of Assembly of God pastors. There is nothing like physical activities in the beautiful Laurel Highlands coupled with spiritual activities that complete the whole experience of being in God’s wonderful natural environment.

Friday- Upon arrival at Laurel Mountain in the afternoon, our group of mountain bikers assembled in the parking lot near the ski area to take on the challenging trails as a start to the weekend.

Shark’s prayerful start to the Laurel Mountain ride.
Some of the local residents of Wolf Rocks welcoming us to Laurel Mountain. Mom and newborn.

We dodged the rain, which came at the end of the ride, changed clothes and headed for a wonderful meal at The Fat Squirrel in Jennerstown. Heading to Boyer’s Pond in a rainstorm, we set up our tents and headed to the 3 Cs Church on the campground. We heard Pastor Michael Abreau tell us how a lot of us are like a ’64 Impala waiting to be restored. God is the master mechanic, and the potential renovation is available for all of us if we let Him into our lives. Great message to end the day and head back to the tents. Rained all night but we managed to stay dry with functioning rain flies on the tents.

Saturday morning- Awoke to coffee, served by Shark, and oatmeal served by yours truly, with Roger Evans from West Virginia providing an egg casserole. Good thing we had John Casuccio’s awning for his camper to get out of the torrential rain to eat. We headed to the Quemahoning Reservoir to take on the challenging trail system in deep mud and slime. We were caked, along with our bikes after the ride, but managed to finish in sunny conditions after starting out in in the pouring rain.

Living Evidence Ministries let the music worship in the 3 Cs Church after all the activities ended.

After a quick lunch and shower, we all headed to the 3 Cs Church again to hear a panel discussion with Pastors Jonathan Whyns, Paul Boseviert, Pete Gacialone, and Todd Pugh. They answered tough questions about faith and spirituality. Time well spent with 4 guys who know the answers or are at least willing to comment humbly on the subjects presented. The session ended with Pastor Jimmy Rivera from City Limits Assembly of God in Philadelphia giving us an exhortation on seeking the Lord and allowing him to search your soul. Jimmy spoke about the unlimited neediness of the soul matching the unlimited grace of God. God the Creator breathed a soul into all of us ,and will come looking for that soul someday. Really convicting, followed by a passionate prayer from Jimmy for all of those guys willing to come forward in humility. Jimmy and Mark “Shark” Sauers prayed individually for all the guys. Shark was a great MC for the event and we all said- he found his calling for sure.

Normal Joe’s worshipping their God.
The Shark with his kilt- doing what great MCs do. Bringing it to the group.

After another great meal at the Fat Squirrel, ( courtesy of Bill Belch), we headed back to the campground and the walk to the Cross. Friday and Saturday nights, Greg and his team set up time for guys to come forward at a wooden cross and give their testimonies. Then after their testimony, they hammer a nail into the cross signifying that they are giving it up to the Lord. Amazing stories of drug dealing, addiction, potential suicide, lost families and spouses, and how someone who inserted themselves into their lives saved them from ruin. Those evangelistic souls preached the saving message of Christianity to people who really needed it, and the fruits of their labor stood at the cross and pounded those nails.

Greg Nass speaking at the Cross

The cool thing about Adventurefest and the organization -Adventuremen.org, is the evidence of humility and grace. In this troubled world, people need prayer and that is why most guys come to the event. Sure, they want to experience the camping, the fellowship, the fun events, the fires, the breakfasts, and on and on. But they are all normal Joe’s trying to get along in life. Nothing condescending about them. They don’t have an “above it all” attitude. These guys want to hear a good message that means something in their lives. They want to hear about forgiveness and the grace available for believers. Greg and his team provide a wonderful experience in the wilds of the Laurel Highlands- rain or not. Who cares?

On a final note, we lost our buddy Bob Anderson last year who attended Adventurefest for the first time. He loved it, had a great time, and after wanting to get more involved, tragically passed away two weeks later on the trails that he loved. We always say Bob went from Adventurefest to Heaven. What a journey! Greg fashioned a screw with Bob’s initials, and I screwed that into the cross on Saturday night. What a nice tribute to a great guy that we all so deeply miss. But we surely know where he is, as we knew his path in life.

Bob Anderson- second from left. Adventurefest 2024

About to tackle the mud at the Q

So, not to get too preachy here, but if you have an urge or curiosity, come to Adventurefest next year. Always the weekend before Father’s Day. Great times in the woods with a bunch of guys who will ride Harleys with you, throw axes with you, fish with you, hike with you, mountain bike with you and most of all……..inspire you. http://www.adventurefest.org http://www.adventuremen.org Thanks for reading.

” I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” – Phillipians 4:13

Please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

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More than Raystown

The Adventurefest Mountain Bike Group.

Last week I told you all about Adventurefest and the great time we had at that event. Part of the deal was to get a group together to ride at the wonderful Allegrippis Trail System at Raystown Lake in Central Pennsylvania. Now many of you know about the lake and the trails that were created by the Army Corps of Engineers and the whole facility is a testament to their hard work and planning for many years. Raystown is the largest manmade lake in Pa. and the trail system is really well laid out and lots of fun to ride. They have lots of flow and the views of the lake from the trails are spectacular. But I will leave that there. Lots has been written about Raystown and I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. But what I do want to talk about is the group of us that ended up riding together that day.

Raystown Lake from the trail system

We split the group into four of us who were pretty strong riders and the other group who were more casual and went off on their own. I rode with John Casuccio, Mark Sauers, and Bob Horrell. I ride with John and Mark fairly frequently and it was nice to connect with Bob who I have ridden with before and also ski with him. As we rode along, we were treated to a good route by Mark “the Shark” Sauers who knew a new route for us to try. Pretty good pace and nice dry flowy trails. But again, that is not the story here.

The Four Amigos.

The story that I thought about on the ride was the fact that all of us are different ages. That is the cool thing about mountain bike riding and skiing for that matter. The love of the sport transcends age and if you can keep yourself in shape, you can continue to ride no matter who you ride with. Bob is on the left here and he is 43, I am 68, John is 61 and the Shark is 58. I chuckled to myself when I thought that I was 25 when Bob was born. But when we are on the trail, age is not a discussion point. We all are mountain bikers and skiers and snowboarders for that matter, and we all bond together on the trails and on the slopes. It was interesting to have a conversation with Bob who is younger and to get his perspective on things. I like the younger guy’s perspective and as the Health and Safety guy at Seven Springs, Bob has a lot to say about the state of skiing locally. He also has a great perspective on life. Again , nice to get a young guy’s perspective on things. But the thing that united all of us last weekend was the riding, the camping, and the Adventurefest. Nobody thinks of age when you are pounding up a hill. You all just get in the rhythm and ride. The experience unites all of us no matter the age. That is why it is so important as you age, to stay in shape. You can enjoy the experience with all kinds of people in all kinds of different age categories. As long as nothing catastrophic happens with your health, you can continue to enjoy your outdoor activities for a long time.

John the Bear whisperer.
Dan and Steve Gurtner at Laurel Mountain. Dan is one of the fast young guys who is gracious enough to ride with all of us. Steve is his old man.

Now I don’t kid myself. I can’t ride with the fast, young guys anymore. I have to know my limitations. But the thing I have found as I age, is to enjoy the experience. I always tell my crowd that no one is going to the Olympics and there is no need to fly out of the parking lot. Just ease into the ride and enjoy your friends, the conversation, and the beauty of the trails and not focus on the back of some guy’s shorts in a heated pace. I am one of the oldest guys on most rides, but I love being in the fray. You can level the playing field if you have a good perspective on your time on the trails. Enjoy the ride, the scenery, and the company of people who are diverse in background and age. So no matter what your sport is, golf, tennis, running, road cycling, or whatever floats your boat, keep at it. Stay in the game. Thanks for reading.

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The Adventuremen

The Adventuremen plus Julie!!

Organized mountain bike rides are usually a lot of fun, especially when they are in the Laurel Highlands. Great trails, sunshine, beautiful state forest greenery, and challenging rock sections. But this day was special among the scores of organized rides at this time of year. http://www.adventuremen.org was the host with the founder Greg Nass at the helm. Adventuremen is an organization of Christian men who enjoy the outdoors together. The signature event is Adventurefest which is a camping event the weekend before Father’s Day. Great speakers, bonfires, mini-bike riding, fishing, Harley riding, mountain bike riding at Raystown, basketball, air cannons, drones, and a plethora of other activities that make the weekend a blast. The venue is at Agape Farm and I have posted on it before. Great group of guys and a great event. But Greg and I decided it was time to branch out from the fest and perhaps schedule some outside events like the ride at Laurel Mountain. It was special on many fronts.

Our fearless leader- Greg Nass.

First of all, my pal Jeff Chetlin came with his wife Julie- even though technically it is a men’s event. Julie rides the rocks better than anybody though, and she was a welcome addition. Jeff, as I have posted before, is returning from a stroke about a year ago and this was his first ride back on some technical trails. Our buddy Pete and Jeff rode together and it was amazing that Jeff has made the comeback due to a lot of hard work on his part and answered prayer. Julie rode the rocks with us. Jeff will ride them soon.

Next amazing story was my pal Tom Tiernan. He has come back twice from cancer and was in terrific shape. Tom pays a lot of attention to his fitness and it showed on the ride in the Laurels. He is an amazingly enthusiastic guy despite some pretty major health setbacks. He enjoys life and really likes mountain bike riding as well as road cycling. He is back and his health and fitness show it. And he talks the whole ride- can’t figure it out. He must have lungs of iron. He and I wouldn’t let anyone else get a word in edgewise. LOL!!!

The group was rounded out by the dentists- Steve Gurtner, and his pals Brad and Sean. All great riders with whom I have ridden many times. Along with Steve’s son Dan who decided to ride with the old guys this day. Julie and Jeff were in the dental field as well and if any one of us had any issues with our teeth on the ride- well we were covered. Roger Evans brought his posse up from West Virginia. Roger and I ride at Adventurefest every year at Raystown and it was great to see him again. My pal Sandy McKee came along and all in all- 16 riders of different backgrounds, faiths, believers, non-believers, and general good guys all hooted and hollered as we left the parking lot after a thoughtful prayer by Greg asking for protection. Greg also asked for prayer requests which were numerous in coming.

The West Virginia Boys and Pete.
Steve and Dan at Wolf Rocks- watching for rattlers.
Sandy taking a breather.

The cool thing about the outing was that even though it was sponsored by a faith based outdoor organization, there was nothing uncomfortable about it. Everyone, no matter if you have faith or no faith, likes to have a prayer said on their behalf. Greg handled it with grace and it was well received. The misnomer about a lot of Christian men is that they are extremists, right wing, condescending when nothing could be further than the truth. Real Christians recognize that they are sinners and in need of the Savior. There was no uncomfortable discussion, no shoving anything down anyone’s throat, just plain fun in the mountains on our bikes. Christian guys are not weirdos. Just come to Adventurefest and see for yourself. They know the good news of the Gospel and are willing to share it, only if asked. Just normal Joes like the most of us. No need to be intimidated by Christian men whose battle cry at the front of the pack was “Halle……….then the back of the pack responds ……..lujah.” And the whole group chuckles and keeps riding.

Mountain biking is a cool way to get 16 guys together and 1 cool lady for some exercise and fun in the woods, with some great dialog. People have issues, or have friends and family with issues, and no better people to discuss them with than the guys from Adventuremen at what they call ” Dirt Church.” I am happy to be associated with them and in fact Greg asked me to be on their board. I was truly honored. So guess what he gets out of me? An enthusiastic guy who organizes fun rides or as I call them Pleasant Pat Peddling. I am going to try to organize some more rides, hikes and even a ski day or 2. Check with me or http://www.adventuremen.org. Adventuremen on Facebook and Dirt Church on Facebook. If you have interest, join one of these FB groups and get all the latest information on rides and events. Greg, Shark, Pete and I invite everyone and it is amazing who God puts together. Normal people – mountain bike riders – in the woods, discussing life and its ups and downs, and how faith in the Lord can fuse it all together. Thanks for reading.