When 16-year-old Noah laced up his boots to summit Guadalupe Peak—the highest point in Texas—he was ready for the challenge. But by the time he descended, his feet were raw with blisters and his spirit was wavering.

“They gave us a beautiful gift. They gave us hope.” - Kitty Gandee

It started with thunder. Ear-splitting, chest-rattling thunder. Black clouds rolled in and rain poured down as lightning lit up the Texas sky. And in the middle of it all, a small group of boys in uniform, rehearsing their Color Guard ceremony with a mixture of nerves, pride, and fierce determination.

There’s something about the frontier spirit that stirs a man’s soul. The call of the wild, the test of character, the proving ground of adventure—this is where boys become men. And few names loom larger on the American frontier than Davy Crockett.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” —Laurence Binyon

"Don’t Invite Me to Church" Brandon didn’t mince words. He was here for Trail Life—for his son, for the boys—but church? No thanks. He’d seen too much. Pastor Darrell Cooper didn’t flinch. He didn’t argue. He didn’t push. He just smiled and said, “Okay.”

“When my husband left our family, my prayer for my sons was simple: ‘God, please send godly men into their lives.’”

As the last light faded over Fisheating Creek, the Everglades came alive. Palmettos glowed gold in the twilight. Cypress trees cast long shadows in the tannin-stained water. Crickets chirped. Tree frogs sang. And the boys—well, the boys were stirring chili.

Imagine being 12 years old, bunking with your dad and best friends aboard a real aircraft carrier, drifting off to sleep after a full day of hands-on exploration. The creak of the ship, the distant hum of the harbor, the lingering excitement of standing where real sailors once stood—it’s the kind of experience that ...