29th Annual Chuck Wilson Memorial Backpack for BENCHMARK
October 5 – 8, 2023 – Thursday – Sunday
44.2 miles, 3 hiking days
#hardcanbehelpful
Maybe it’s hard, but hard isn’t hard just to be hard. Hard can be helpful. We can learn an awful lot about ourselves and other people through the hard. We can get a clearer understanding of our capabilities and limitations in the hard.
Click here and scroll down the page to choose a Hiker to Sponsor for the 2023 Chuck Wilson Memorial Backpack for BENCHMARK … so BENCHMARK can continue to say yes to the opportunities that God provides.
Why did the annual Backpack for BENCHMARK become the Chuck Wilson Memorial? Just as a benchmark is a known point that can help us better understand where we are, the annual Backpack for BENCHMARK is a difficult trip challenging the emotional and physical stamina of anyone willing to take it on. This experience allows hikers to better understand the way they think, feel, and act in light of Biblical principles. In recognition of the strength and character of veteran adventurer Chuck Wilson, this hard fundraising hike was renamed in his memory in 1999.
#hikethechuck #mountainpeaksareworthit #backpackforbenchmark
Why do we #hikethechuck? The annual Backpack for BENCHMARK became the Chuck Wilson Memorial in 1999, in memory of this Navy Sailor who had a minister’s heart and a mountaineer’s zeal, and experienced God through the beauty of creation. BENCHMARK pushed Chuck out of his box and stretched him to a deeper faith.
Get in touch with your adventurous side by joining the Chuck Wilson Memorial Backpack for BENCHMARK.
Sometimes, when I’m hiking, I can still hear Chuck talking about the heaviness of the pack or how his feet hurt, but the value of the work BENCHMARK was doing in the lives of others.
Chuck Wilson was a great man and he was passionate about a great many things. He loved the Lord most of all, followed closely by his family and friends and the great outdoors. He saw and experienced God through the beauty of creation.
The efforts expended and the sacrifices made only last for a short time, but the rewards can be for a lifetime.
