Warrior Hikers in Front Royal VA Friday Night

Warrior Hike ^ | 18 June 2013 | concretebob

[concretebob]

Friday 1900 hours at VFW Post 1860 in Front Royal, VA.

The VFW in Front Royal is hosting the Warrior Hikers:
Combat Veterans who are “Walking off the War” by hiking the Appalachian Trail (yes, ALL 2,180 miles) to raise money for wounded vets.
Warrior Hike is a non-profit organization that uses the funds raised to purchase modified vehicles for wounded vets.
Come out and help support Warrior Hike

Friday night at 7:00 at the Front Royal VFW Post 1860
1847 N Royal Ave
Front Royal, VA 22630

Cooking with the Troops will be onsite with BBQ Sauce and who knows who may show up.

[concretebob]

Its a potluck dinner with about 40 hikers and the great folks at the Front Royal VFW Post 1860.
I've smoked up about 20 pounds of pork loin and I'm bringing BBQ sauce.

[humblegunner]

Bump that!

[concretebob]

PING!!! and re-PING, please

[concretebob]

THANK YOU!!!

[Albion Wilde]

Please ping your lists!

[JoyjoyfromNJ]

They seem to be ahead of schedule from what’s posted on their website. Their calendar says they’ll be in Pine Grove PA July 5. That will put them only about 42 miles away from an entire ox roast at the Kutztown Folk Festival which will be held June 29 thru July 5. Maybe you can ship them a supply of BBQ sauce to meet them there :-)

PS: I haven’t gotten my DC Chapter ping yet; just happened upon your post so am bumping to the top.

[concretebob]

Thank You for the BUMPITY-BUMP.
Yepper, they are strolling through the Blue Ridge.

I will let them know about the ox roast.
Thanks ;)

[trooprally]

DC Chapter Master Ping List

Ever loyal Concretebob requested a ping. If you are hungry after tomorrow’s Tea Party rally, spend Friday night at Front Royal helping out our Wounded Warriors.

Several years ago my brother, retired colonel, USMC, thru hiked the whole Appalachian Trail. He had a trail journal where he posted pictures and his daily experiences. Do the Warrior Hikers have one?

[Mr] T

[concretebob]

I will find out, but I'm sure someone is keeping a diary.
They are "walking it off" in a big way.
Thanks for the PING out, TR.

[MissMagnolia]

Posted this on the VA board before I saw this thread:

I’ve been following these vets on the AT (I’m an AT section maintainer near Rockfish Gap/Afton Mountain). They were at Devil’s Backbone Brewery with the Waynesboro VFW Post 2424 on Sunday. If you are not familiar with them, here are some links I’ve accumulated. The first is from Sharon Smith (trail name: Mama Goose) and if you can watch it without crying, you’re a lot tougher than I am. Then there is a video from DBB Sunday and an article Warrior Hike posted today from Outdoor USA Magazine. These vets are having a great, healing experience on the trail - being welcomed with open arms and lots of support by the trail community, the VFW posts, and everyone they encounter .... something they richly deserve for the sacrifices they have made and their efforts to help others who have paid the price for freedom.

Sharon Smith video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7zEmlq969c

Warrior Hike Makes a Stop in the Shenandoah Valley
http://www.nbc29.com/story/22604937/warrior-hike-makes-a-stop-in-the-shenandoah-valley

More and More Veterans Walking Off the War
http://wwwdotwarriorhikedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/outdoor-usa-magazine.pdf

[MissMagnolia]

My comment ‘if you’re not familiar with them’ doesn’t apply to you, of course! :-) I was on the AT Saturday, hoping to see these guys/gals, but they got off just south to go to DBB so we missed them and I couldn’t attend the event Sunday - drats! I did alert a blogger in the area who does politics, etc. and she did a post for them:

http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2013/06/update-walking-off-war-at-warrior-hike.html

[concretebob]

SWACGirl is a friend of mine and a great Lady.
I'm glad she picked up the story and THANK YOU for giving her a heads up.
I'm cooking up about 20 lbs of smoked pork for BBQ and heading up with my BFF (and Director of Comm for CWTT) Susan Katz Keating.
I think Jonn Lilyea ThisAintHell is coming over the mountain and Sniper is coming down from Winchester to pick up some BBQ sauce.
You should come up and join us.
I garontee you'll be fed.

[MissMagnolia]

Very cool that you know SWAC Girl .... it’s a ‘small’ world! I love her blog, just ‘happened’ upon it recently, but thought she’d be interested in Warrior Hike - when she looked at the links I’d sent, she told me “ I think I’ve found a new love!”. She did a good job covering WH when they were in the area.

Thanks for the invite, would very much like to meet the WH vets (BBQ is a favorite, too!), but it doesn’t look like I can make it. Wish all of them the very best for me - people are following their journey, even if we can’t get out to see them. The hiking community has always been generous with thru-hikers and it makes me really happy for the WH vets that they are having a good experience and folks are embracing them and what they are trying to accomplish. Again, sorry to miss out - thanks for doing this for them and I hope all goes well (I know it will)!

[concretebob]

As soon as I get the link I'll post the pictures from Friday night in Front Royal.
An amazing time with some amazing people.
We had vists from BostonMaggie who never misses a chance to rattle my cage and Friday night was no different, and The Sniper who is never at a loss for words when dealing with guys who have the same life experiences.
We ate BBQ, drank honeydew peach vinewater and talked into the night about future plans in Maine and Kansas City BBQ.
Stay tuned; this aint ovah.

[concretebob]

The hikers.

Sean Gobin, founder of Warrior Hike on the left in the black tee. Boston Maggie on the far left.

A common sight for anyone familiar with what we do.

Thats just a jar of water with peaches floating in it. Really. No, seriously, its just peaches and water.
Thats Kevin, former Marine, a member of the KCBS (Kansas City BBQ Society) and the future manager of Cooking with the Troops' Midwest Chapter.
We're already scheming, and he invited me to come out and join the competition BBQ event he has won several times. I guess I'm gonna haftago.

[MissMagnolia]

Thanks for the pictures!!! The ‘really, it’s just peaches and water’ reminds me of a recipe (one of the best cakes ever) ...”It’s Just Apples Darlin’ Cake”. Folks claim to detect a little “somethin’ somethin’” in the batter/glaze that reminds them of perhaps .... (could it be?) rum. :-)

So happy for the Warrior Hike vets - receiving open arms and ‘thank yous’ .... what they deserve and more for their service & sacrifice.

[Albion Wilde]

Hated to miss it. Had a barbeque sandwich at Burger King in your honor. Compared to your cooking, it was just awful.

[concretebob]

Oh no!!! Not Burger King!!!
I'm going to have to get you a jar of mine just so you won't have to endure the indignities of that experience again.

[concretebob]

You’re very welcome. Thank you for taking care of “our” trail.

[Albion Wilde]

Oh no!!! Not Burger King!!! I'm going to have to get you a jar of mine just so you won't have to endure the indignities of that experience again.

Now that's an offer I can't refuse. I'm afraid all I have to offer in trade is mouth-watering Neapolitian-Italian pasta dishes that leave you lusting for garlic and artichokes for the rest of your natural life.