Last time John Berger was on this show, he told us how he got here. This time we brought him and his longtime friend and colleague Fernando back to talk about what he's decided to do with it, turning Cummings Creek Retreat into a nonprofit for disabled veterans and first responders.

John was injured in the fire service in 1979, and lost his hand about 20 years ago. Fernando's been through his own hard recovery, a transplant that put him into a real depression before John helped pull him out of it. Together they spent 25 years teaching wildland fire safety classes across Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, over 50,000 people trained, and not one of them has been injured on the fires they prepared them for. That record is a big part of why this mission means what it does to both of them.

Cummings Creek Retreat isn't a fitness facility, it's a place to reconnect with nature. John and his partner Ron own the nonprofit and take no salary, Fernando handles marketing as the only paid overhead. The ranch has wheelchair-accessible archery courses, built around a Defender vehicle that gets anyone up the course regardless of mobility, plus an improved shooting range and a main cabin built for community, not just recovery in isolation.

This conversation comes at a heavy moment, there are 20,000 firefighters working Oregon's fires right now, and the state lost three of them in the days before we recorded this. That's exactly the community this mission is built for.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Catching up with John Berger and his friend Fernando, back on the show together

• John's 1979 firefighter injury and losing his hand roughly 20 years later

• Fernando's own recovery from a transplant and the depression that followed

• 25 years teaching wildland fire safety, 50,000+ people trained, zero injuries

• Why John and Ron walked away from the for-profit retreat model

• Inside Cummings Creek Retreat: wheelchair-accessible archery, the Defender system, the shooting range, the main cabin

• How to get involved, visit, or support the mission

TIMESTAMPS (from the actual episode)

0:00 Cold Open

1:04 Intro — The Next Chapter

3:03 The Ranch & How We Know Each Other

9:06 John's Story — The Injury, Fernando's Story, 25 Years of Fire Safety Training

22:00 The Turn — Why the Nonprofit, and How to Get Involved

LINKS

More Oregon hunting & fishing guides: https://failedoutdoors.com

Cummings Creek Retreat: https://cummingscreekretreat.com

Coffee that funds this show — Lost Hiker, Road Hunter, Zero Dark 30: https://failedoutdoors.com/shop

We'll see you out in the woods! We'll see you in the next episode.

#FailedOutdoors #RoadHunterPodcast #JohnBerger #CummingsCreekRetreat #Veterans #FirstResponders #OutdoorRecovery #Nonprofit

We've been gone about eight months. This episode is why — and it's also the story of the June trip where a wildfire burned to within about 50 feet of our tent, and we almost lost Eli's boat.

Eli, his buddy Jacob, and Jacob's dad Darren were out catfishing in Eastern Oregon's Hell's Canyon country near Ontario, right on the Idaho border, when a distant smoke cloud turned into a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation in the space of about twenty minutes. We're not making the fire the punchline here. It got close, it got scary, and we're telling it straight: the motor trouble before it even started, what they grabbed, what they left, and how close it actually came.

Also in this one: the new show schedule (new episodes every other Friday, new articles every Wednesday on failedoutdoors.com), and a story straight out of the news — two guys in Tennessee who took a side-by-side out during an active flood warning and had to be pulled out of a creek by search and rescue.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why the Road Hunter Podcast went quiet for eight months, and why we're back

• The new schedule — episodes every other Friday, articles every Wednesday

• Eli, Jacob, and Darren's June catfishing trip to Hell's Canyon, and the motor trouble that almost sank it before the fire even showed up

• The wildfire: from a distant smoke cloud to a Level 3 evacuation in under half an hour

• The scramble: what got grabbed, what got left, saving the boat

• Back at camp the next day — the fire burned to within about 50 feet of the tent

• A Tennessee side-by-side flood rescue, and our own history of "seemed like a good idea at the time"

• A first look at Episode 40: John Berger's Cummings Creek Retreat, now a nonprofit for veterans and disabled first responders

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Cold Open

1:02 Intro — Welcome Back

3:03 The Reset — Why We Left, What's New

7:01 The Fire Story — Eli, Jacob & Darren's June Trip

20:03 Tennessee Side-by-Side Flood Rescue

26:02 Banter

28:36 Close & What's Next

LINKS

More Oregon hunting & fishing guides: https://failedoutdoors.com

Read the full write-up on the site: [BLOG_POST_URL]

Coffee that funds this show — Lost Hiker, Road Hunter, Zero Dark 30: https://failedoutdoors.com/shop

If you've never had a wildfire close enough to taste the smoke off your own gear, count yourself lucky — we didn't get that lucky this time, we got lucky enough. Watch your exits out there. We'll see you out in the woods! We'll see you in the next episode.

#FailedOutdoors #RoadHunterPodcast #OregonWildfire #WildfireSafety #EasternOregon #HellsCanyon #PublicLandFishing #OutdoorPodcast

It’s late November and we’re back in the blind for another Road Hunter Podcast hunt. The ducks were slow, but the coots kept things interesting—we ended the morning with 3 coot, 2 ducks, and plenty of laughs.

While we wait on birds, we break down the final days of elk season: what went right, what went sideways, and what we learned as we close the book on another year in the mountains.

If you like duck hunting, real talk, and end-of-season storytelling, you’re in the right place.

Suffering Victoriously As Christians... "It is 'Go Time' to be Fully Invested in Serving Christ and His Kingdom!"  It was and seems to be once again time to be fully invested in serving the LORD.  There are four fundamental responses that need to be consistently practiced as troublesome times continue to unfold.  First, a prayer life built upon sound judgment and soberness.  Next, we need to remain fervent in our love for the brethren.  Third we need to be hospitable with a great attitude,  Finally, we need to invest our God-given gifts, talents, abilities, and resources to advance Christ's Kingdom.  The overall riding purpose is that God may be glorified in His people as we humbly do His will.

“Suffering Victoriously As Christians... Arm Yourselves with Christ's Purpose in Suffering for Doing what is Right!” As those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are to suffer like Christ according to the will of God. To accomplish this we must, "arm ourselves," by setting our mind, our intentions, and our purpose to share the gospel in both word and deed so others might become Christians! In following Christ's example, as we consistently invest our lives in the selfless sacrifice and service of others, we will grow in the holiness and righteousness of our Lord Jesus. In so doing, we will also experience the slander of those who will malign us as we lay aside our former fleshly lusts to embrace the righteous life of Christ and His love for lost souls. Our motivation in all this comes from knowing that all of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be recompensed for the things we did in the flesh whether good or evil.

“Suffering Victoriously As Christians... In Your Marriage and the Family of God!”   Last week we introduced this lesson but this morning we will finish looking at the critically important human institutions of marriage and the church which is the family of God.  Remembering that we are looking at each of these human institutions, created by God, for God's purpose we will examine marriage in the same light.  Marriage is also designed to fulfill the LORD's ultimate purpose.  The husband and wife are to be subject to their God given purpose and role in the marriage relationship.  Submission to God's will in any relationship means the sacrifice of "Self."  In a person's sacrifice in marriage, to be in submission to the LORD's will, there is often pain of many different kinds.  We will focus on both the husband and wife in the LORD's call to submit to Him and His will while serving each other in marriage.  To fulfill His will we must also examine the critical spiritual nature and adornment of the wife and the husband as God's word directs.  We will conclude our lesson by examining our call to fulfill God's purpose as Christians in context to being a part of His family.  We will describe the purpose of our submission to one another and what the nature of that submission looks like.

“Suffering Victoriously As Christians... In Your Marriage and the Family of God!” In the past few weeks we have learned that we are to be in subjection to every human institution such as civil governments and the institutions were we are employed. This morning we will look at the critically important human institutions of marriage and the church which is the family of God. Remembering that we are looking at each of these human institutions, created by God, for God's purpose we will examine marriage in the same light. Marriage is also designed to fulfill the LORD's ultimate purpose. The husband and wife is to be subject to their God given purpose and role in the marriage relationship. Submission to God's will in any relationship means the sacrifice of "Self." In a person's sacrifice in marriage to be submission to the LORD's will there is often times pain of many and varied different kinds. We will focus on the both the husband and wife in the LORD's call to submit to Him and His will while serving each other in marriage. We will conclude our lesson by examining our call to fulfill God's purpose as Christians in context to being a part of His family. We will describe the purpose of our submission to one another and what the nature of that submission looks like.

Join us in the Eastern Oregon backcountry as we chase elk, glass the ridges, and talk through one of the biggest moments of the season—Eli missing a big buck on the very last day of deer season.

In this episode of The Road Hunter Podcast, we break down what happened, what we learned, and how those tough misses shape us as hunters. Plus, we share fresh elk sign, strategy talk, and the highs and lows of being deep in the timber.

If you love real hunting stories, honest conversations, and the raw beauty of Eastern OR, you’re in the right place.

Join us in the duck blind for an unforgettable hunt! 🦆 We double up on two birds while calling in ducks and swapping stories about the season. As deer season winds down, we talk about shifting gears into elk season — what we’ve learned, what’s next, and why the grind never stops for The Road Hunter crew. Tune in for good laughs, duck calls, and real talk from the blind.

In this episode of The Road Hunter Podcast, we talk about the slow late-October deer hunting season. Deer sightings have been scarce, and the rut feels late this year. We share what we’re seeing (and not seeing) in the field, discuss weather and moon phase factors, and swap thoughts on how to stay patient when the action cools down. Grab a coffee, settle in, and join the hunt talk!