Trail Life USA Blog

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.

Matt Gidney May 12, 2025

Trail Life USA, Leadership, Masculinity, Troop

Don't Invite Me to Church: The Power of Presence

"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.”

Matt Gidney May 05, 2025

Mentoring, Parenting, Trail Life USA, Leadership, Masculinity, Troop, Raising Godly Boys, Rescue Boys

God Sent Men: A Story of Single Motherhood, Mentorship, and the Power of a Troop Family

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

Matt Gidney Apr 14, 2025

Trail Life USA, Let Boys be Boys, Leadership, Troop Adventures

Adventure in the Everglades

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.

Matt Gidney Mar 17, 2025

Trail Life USA, Troop Adventures, History

Two Nights Aboard the USS Yorktown: Hands-On History and Lessons in Duty

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…

Matt Gidney Mar 10, 2025

Trail Life USA, Let Boys be Boys, Troop Adventures, Masculinity, Troop, Raising Godly Boys

Trailmen Don't Hibernate!

There's No Offseason for Adventure When the world falls asleep beneath a blanket of snow, when bears slumber in their dens and squirrels hunker down, waiting for warmer days—boys see something different. To them, winter is a blank canvas for adventure.

Matt Gidney Mar 06, 2025

Trail Life USA, Let Boys be Boys, Troop Adventures, Masculinity, Troop, Raising Godly Boys

Yukon Adventure: Mud, Mayhem, and the Measure of a Trailman

The rain started the night before, a steady drumbeat on the tents that turned the ground into a quagmire by morning. But no amount of mud was going to dampen the spirits of the Trailmen. This was the Yukon Adventure—one of Trail Life’s longest-running and most challenging events—and they had come…

Matt Gidney Feb 17, 2025

In The News, Trail Life USA, Service, Troop

Making Waves: How One Trailman is Answering the Call and Making an Impact

“Why would I wait for ‘someone’ to address the issues I see, when I am indeed someone?” -Trailman, Cash Daniels

Matt Gidney Feb 13, 2025

Trail Life USA, Troop Adventures, Masculinity

Troop CA-0110: Adventure, Worship, and Fortitude in the California High Sierra

A chill swept through the morning air as the Trailmen laced up their boots. The crew from Troop CA-0110 stood on the edge of Agnew Meadows, eyes cast toward the distant peaks that stretched across the California High Sierra. Their journey would take them over fifty rugged miles, pushing them up to…

Matt Gidney Feb 09, 2025

Trail Life USA, Boy Scout Alternative, Leadership, History, Raising Godly Boys

Sir Robert Baden-Powell: Molding Christian Men Through Outdoor Adventure

In the summer of 1900, on the dusty plains of Mafeking, South Africa, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell surveyed his unlikely army. It wasn’t only the British soldiers stationed with him that caught his attention—it was a cadre of young boys, the Mafeking Cadet Corps, carrying messages and supplies…