Matt Gidney
Matt Gidney taught English at Covenant College and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He currently serves as the communications and compliance coordinator for Trail Life USA. He lives in Travelers Rest, South Carolina with his wife and 3 children.
Recent Posts
Matt Gidney
Leadership Masculinity History
Quinn was almost home when he saw her. A car sat disabled on the shoulder, hood raised. A young woman stood in front of it, shoulders tight. She looked flustered—clearly having a rough day.
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Matt Gidney
Richard Braly is a new Trail Life Registered Adult volunteer and the father of a six-year-old Trailman. Like many Trail Life leaders, Richard was a Boy Scout, froma Tiger Cub all the way into adulthood. As a teenager, he worked as a counselor at multiple BSA summer camps in Texas and Oklahoma. Those positions required ...
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Matt Gidney
Mentoring Parenting Service Leadership Masculinity History
“My sentiments for the American cause, from the Stamp Act downward, have never changed… I am still of opinion that it is the cause of liberty and of human nature.” — Christopher Gadsden
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Matt Gidney
Mentoring Parenting Let Boys be Boys Masculinity
Every parent knows the feeling—explaining, demonstrating, encouraging—and yet the lesson doesn’t quite stick. Whether it’s tying shoes, changing a tire, or learning to listen, boys often need more than words. That’s because boys don’t just learn with their ears—they learn with their hands.
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Matt Gidney
Mentoring Leadership Masculinity
The last night Jonathan Gordon spent with Trail Life Troop MS-0356 was bittersweet. As the Court of Honor ceremony came to a close, Jonathan knew this chapter was ending so another could begin. After more than three years of growth and brotherhood, he was stepping away—not to leave the mission behind, but to plant it ...
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Matt Gidney
Let Boys be Boys Troop Adventures Masculinity
The van wound through the tunnel, headlights bouncing off granite walls before bursting into the open air — and suddenly, there it was. Yosemite Valley stretched before them in all its glory: the sheer face of El Capitan to the left, the distant crown of Half Dome rising on the horizon.
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Matt Gidney
Mentoring Leadership Masculinity
A Father’s Search When Ken became a father in 2011, he wanted to make sure he spent quality time with his son. Like many dads, he thought of the Boy Scouts. But as the organization shifted away from its foundations, he began looking for something different—something Christ-centered, something that would build not only ...
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Matt Gidney
Let Boys be Boys Troop Adventures Masculinity
Wheeler Peak Wilderness, Taos, NM – July 2025 On July 17, 2025, Trailmen of Troop TX-0022 stood on top of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s highest summit at 13,160 feet. But their story began long before the final summit. It began with a bold idea: a backpacking trip to conquer five rugged peaks above 11,000 feet in the ...
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Matt Gidney
Parenting Let Boys be Boys Leadership Troop Adventures
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.
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