Tag Archives: Cheaha Mountain

Reboot Wilderness in their own words

Posted on August 11, 2017 | Leave a comment

Unplugging from the routine, enjoying scenery and finding community. These are just a few of the common words I’ve heard when we’ve asked the men and women to describe their short journey into God’s creation on a Reboot day hike or camping trip right here in the Alabama wilderness. Spending time unplugging from your day-to-day routine and joining with others to explore the outdoors is a great way for a fresh perspective.  But don’t just take it from us, here are a few words from some past Reboot participants:

Trevor Sipsey group photo

“Reboot Wilderness is such a great way to fellowship and experience God. The hiking trips are well planned out, the lessons are thought provoking, and it’s a great way to get to know other brothers in Christ.”

  • Trevor Anderson, backpacking and day hike participant from Connecticut

Frank Borden Creek crossing

“I have participated in several overnight backpacking trips and day hikes with Reboot. The trips allow a person to get away from the everyday stresses of life and ‘reboot’ with a greater focus on God and Jesus Christ.

“Reboot has helped me to see the presence of God in nature. I would urge anyone to join in. It’s fun, refreshing and spiritually motivating – all at the same time.”

  • Frank Caskey, backpacking and day hike participant from Montgomery, Alabama

Misty Smith Mountain group

“(My husband) Joe and I enjoyed the hike on Saturday! It was such a blessing to be with everyone that was there. We enjoy getting to know other fellow believers in Christ along with hiking through the beauty observed at Lake Martin. It is awesome to take time and enjoy the outside beauty created by our Lord.”

  • Misty Trusell, day hike participant from Wetumpka, Alabama

Noah Cheaha

 “My favorite thing about going on a Reboot trip is the feeling of being out of your routine. You’re with a group, but you’re out with no deadlines or schedules or phone calls. Focusing on God’s creation and the majesty of it, then spending a little time each day discussing it is very powerful and fun. It is surprising how refreshing and rejuvenating such a short trip can be.”

  • Noah Dean, backpacking and father-son camping participant from Montgomery, Alabama

Join us on a fall trip and experience the same thing. Renewal awaits!

Noah Cheaha group

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Announcing Reboot spring 2017 backpacking trips

Posted on February 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

I’m not sure about you, but I’m itching to get outside to enjoying some fresh air, nice scenery, a campfire and great times exploring God’s creation right here in Alabama. With that in mind, we’ve got a couple of men’s overnight backpacking trips planned for the Spring. Come join us in exploring two pieces of God’s wonderful creation right here in our own Alabama backyard. As always, we love and welcome first-time backpackers. We can loan you most all of the gear you’ll need. Come join us for a great time of exercise, fresh air and fellowship. Sign up is required but free. All we ask is a small $25 fee to help cover expenses for each trip.

Click here for complete details about each backpacking trip. 

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cheahamay2016promo

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God uses the ordinary

Posted on April 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

Gaining a new perspective from an overlook along the Pinhoti Trail.

Think you aren’t qualified enough to do something God has called you to? I don’t feel qualified either.

But guess what? The Bible is littered with tons of examples of God using everyday, ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for His kingdom.

When I started Reboot, I didn’t have any sort of formal ministry training. I just had a love for backpacking and hiking and just being outdoors. And I think helping people connect to Christ for the first time or deepen their relationship with Christ is the most important thing I can do. So, I felt strongly that God was calling me to combine the two into what is now Reboot Wilderness. But it took a step of faith to overcome my fear and make this idea a reality.

As I’ve walked through this ministry for the past couple of years, I’m continuing to learn a lot. One of the biggest lessons is that if God is calling you to do something, He’s going to provide what you need exactly when you need it. It might not look like what you think it should, but He will lead you step-by-step. However, it requires taking that first scary step where it goes from an idea that you’ll do someday when you have more time, more training, etc. to reality.

In my experience, this is the point when Satan often uses his handy tricks of self-doubt and fear. I start thinking I’m not qualified or not good enough and then I really start to overthink everything. I don’t think I’m alone with that feeling, and sometimes it is enough to scare us away and prevent us from even trying something that God is calling us to do. But the Bible is very clear that these are the types of people God loves to use.

Recently, I’ve been hit with this theme a lot in my Bible reading, as I prepare to start a weekly men’s small group lunch gathering. I think we sometimes forget the power of God when we trust Him, surrender our agendas to Him and are obedient to what He is calling us to do – whether it is something simple or something really big.

Check out these examples:

Most of the disciples were fishermen with no special education, hardly the qualification one would look for on paper when selecting candidates for spreading the Good News about Christ to the world.

When Peter and John went before the ruling council after healing a lame man in Jesus’ name at the Temple entrance, they were filled with the Holy Spirit so much that it shocked the Jewish leaders.

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” – Acts 4:13

The prophet Amos was just a shepherd and a fig-tree grower when God called him to send a warning message to Israel and Judah.

“I am not one of your professional prophets. I certainly never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’” – Amos 7:14-15

Moses…

David as a child…

The list goes on….

Don’t feel qualified? You are in very good company. Take the next step and surrender that fear to God and trust Him to be faithful to what He is calling you to do.

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Why go on a Reboot Wilderness Adventure?

Posted on February 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

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In a world of full of complexity and busyness, we all crave a little simplicity. What if we had the chance for a day to unplug from the technology, stress and distractions of our daily lives and connect with God and with others while exploring a wild and rugged piece of His Creation?

Reboot hiking and backpacking adventures are low-cost, fun and welcoming to first-timers. They allow us to catch our breath and refocus. We’ve got the basic gear you need including tents, backpacks, sleeping bags and sleeping pads for overnight trips. We only ask a small fee to cover costs.

Reboot is a chance to:

– Live simply and uncluttered for a couple of days. When you camp on the trail, you must carry all your possessions on your back.

– Meet new friends and have fun and fellowship with other men.

– Get great exercise and build your endurance. We usually hike 7-10 miles over two days.

– Earn the privilege of experiencing Alabama’s most breathtaking sights.

– Eat Conecuh Sausage and not feel guilty. You’ll burn the calories on the trail.

– Take a break from Twitter, Facebook and your constantly buzzing phone.

– Experience a real-life adventure while other men are sitting on the couch watching “Man vs. Wild” or playing video games.

– Most importantly, connect with our Creator by exploring His wild, rugged creation. We do this via stopping and sharing along the trail, an evening campfire discussion and a short time of solitude. All discussions are low-pressure. You can participate as much or as little as you’d like.

The group for the Fall 2014 Sipsey trip.

The group for the Fall 2014 Sipsey trip.

Planned Spring 2015 trips

Saturday, March 7: Day hike to Deadening Alpine Trail along the shores of Lake Martin. This 2.5 mile hike is open to men and women and designed as an introduction to the Reboot experience. The trail covers moderate terrain with lots of short up and down sections. We’ll leave Montgomery in the morning and return by mid-afternoon. Click here to reserve your spot. 

Friday, March 20- Saturday, March 21: Men’s overnight backpacking to Sipsey Wilderness. We’ll hike Trail 209 along the Sipsey River with the goal of exploring the famous and sometimes elusive Bee Branch Canyon and Big Tree. We’ll leave Montgomery Friday morning and return early Saturday evening. Click here to reserve your spot. 

Friday, May 1- Saturday, May 2: Men’s overnight backpacking to Sipsey Wilderness.  The destination will be the same as the March hike but we’ll take a completely different route. We’ll start at the Thompson Trailhead and hike Trail 206 along Thompson Creek until it meets up with the west side of Trail 209 along the Sipsey. We’ll take the side trail to explore Bee Branch Canyon and the famous Big Tree. We’ll leave Montgomery Friday morning and return early Saturday evening.  Click here to reserve your spot. 

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Sign up now available for men’s overnight backpacking in Cheaha Wilderness Nov. 7–8

Posted on September 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

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This is a two-day, one-night adventure to the Cheaha Wilderness Friday, Nov. 7 – Saturday, Nov. 8 that combines hiking and camping along the trail with Bible study. We’ll unplug from technology, seek some adventure, hang out by the campfire and spend some time with God in His wilderness.

No previous backpacking experience is required. This is a perfect starter trip. Even better, we’ll loan you all the basic gear you’ll need, including backpacks, backpacking tents, compact sleeping bags and sleeping pads.

We’ll hike the 10-mile Odum Scout Trail route traveling along the Pinhoti from the Cheaha Trailhead  and stopping on Friday evening to camp at scenic McDill Point. On Saturday, we’ll continue along the Pinhoti to the Caney Head trail intersection and pick up the Odum Scout Trail to the High Falls Trailhead. The hike is a total of about 10 miles of hiking split over two days.The trail is easy enough that anyone in halfway decent shape should have no problem.

Reboot participants build a campfire near McDill Point in the Cheaha Wilderness.

Camping near McDill Point in the Cheaha Wilderness.

We will leave Montgomery around 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning and return late Saturday afternoon.

There is no cost for the hike; however we ask that you contribute $15 to a pool for gas money and group dinner expenses. We’ll have a pre-trip meeting the Sunday before the hike to go over all the details and get your loaner gear to you.

Space is limited to eight men.

Click here to fill out a quick sign-up form and reserve your spot.

Have questions? Contact Reboot leaders Mike Presley, Chris Bowden and Adam Causey at rebootwildernessadventures@gmail.com.

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More details coming soon…

November 2014 Cheaha announcement photo

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Posted on September 11, 2014 in About Reboot

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As we plan for spring, a look back at an outstanding fall

Posted on January 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

Fall was a great season for Reboot and an outstanding cap to our first year as a ministry. We had the privilege of leading two overnight backpacking/Bible study trips to Cheaha and a day hike trip to the Deadening Trail at Lake Martin. With crisp autumn air and beautiful foliage, fall is the perfect season to explore and enjoy God’s creation, and our trips didn’t disappoint.

Cheaha backpacking
Taking a rest during our September Cheaha backpacking trip.

Taking a rest during our September Cheaha backpacking trip.

Gorgeous sunny weather greeted our first overnighter Sept. 28-29. The Pinhoti Trail was a little busier than normal which really wasn’t too much of a surprise because of the wonderful weather. Our usual campsite along McDill Point was taken but we found a wonderful large campsite on top of a short hill opposite from the turnoff to McDill Point.  After setting up camp and enjoying a dinner of Conecuh sausage and rice, we had a great discussion focused on Luke 12:22-24 and how God is our provider and as long as we are seeking after Him, he will provide everything we need. We capped off the night listening to the end of the Alabama/Ole Miss football game on a small backpacking radio (This is Alabama were college football is king, after all). The next day we hiked the Pinhoti to the intersection with the Chinnabee Silent Trail and took Chinabee down the mountain and ended the hike at Cheaha Falls.

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An Unexpected Adventure: Reboot’s May 2013 Cheaha Wilderness trip (part 2)

Posted on June 16, 2013 | 4 comments

This is the second of a two-part series about encountering many surprises during our May 2013 backpacking trip, including 7 inches of rain.. Read the first part here.

Part 2: 9 p.m. Friday – Saturday

Another storm rolls in.

Another storm rolls in.

It’s close to 9 p.m. when we emerge from the tent to assess the situation and our gear. The storm blew the rainfly about halfway off my tent leaving behind a huge puddle of water in the center and soaked gear. We reluctantly decide to pack our waterlogged gear, return to the car and rent a room at the nearby Cheaha State Park Lodge. Though I think Josh and I would have been probably been game to take our chances on the trail, God granted Jeff the wisdom to push for staying at the lodge.

The storm left the trail a muddy mess, and a heavy fog only enhanced the eerie atmosphere as we hiked the remaining 20 minutes to the car by headlamp.

We make it to our room at the lodge and cook our Conecuh sausage and rice dinner outside using our butane backpacking stoves (I’m not sure if we are technically allowed to do this at the lodge but it was 10 p.m. and the restaurant was long closed). Though we are not out in the wilderness, we continue our discussion well into morning hours about the meaning of adventure and how God is calling us to do much greater things than the 8-5 routine. Then we turn in for the night. At this point, it has rained only slightly since we rented the room.

At about 2 a.m., I wake up to what sounds like cannon fire outside of our room. Another vicious storm is upon Cheaha. This time, the lightning and thunder are striking simultaneously. The storm is right on top of us. A couple of times the power surges as lightning strikes. At this point, we all realize we made the right call about the lodge room. The rain continues to pour the rest of the night.

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