ASF to Take Vets Hiking in Final WIM Program of the Season

WINDHAM — The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) is set to host its eighth and final Warriors in Motion® (WIM) program of the season next week when it will welcome seven veterans for its hiking event.

The WIM hiking event was originally scheduled for the end of June, but inclement weather forced the foundation to postpone it. Instead, the warriors will be treated to late summer/early fall views of the Northern Catskills.

The Warriors in Motion program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All Warriors in Motion programs are goal-oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness.

U.S. Army Reserve veteran Melissa Lee, who retired from service within the past year, will be making her first trip to Windham, and is excited to see what the program can do for her. “I’m looking forward to the scenery, seeing and interacting with other veterans and just being outside,” Lee said.

The ASF has seven U.S. Military veterans, including Lee, scheduled to visit the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Foundation on Tuesday afternoon to get their excursion started with a lunch, equipment fitting and basic hiking instruction. From there, the group of vets and volunteers will head to nearby Lexington to ascend the Diamond Notch Trail, a 1.5-mile hike that features the Diamond Notch Falls, providing a nice setting for the week’s first adventure. Once the WIM group finishes the hike, they will check into their hotels and return to ASF for a catered dinner.

The ASF shuttle bus will pick the veterans up at their hotels on Wednesday morning and take them out to Tannersville, where the group will hike to Inspiration Point. Known as one of the Catskills’ greatest lookouts, the hike climbs 820 feet in elevation and a distance of about five miles. This hike will be an all-day affair and the participants will have lunch on the trail. Once everyone takes their photos of the views and returns to the bus, they will be dropped off at their hotels to get ready for another dinner at the ASF lodge.

Day three’s hike will be determined based on how the warriors are feeling after their first two excursions. The group will return to ASF after the morning hike for lunch before the participants depart.

This is Lee’s first time participating in a warrior program, and she’s happy to be a part of it. “This is a great opportunity for me to go and enjoy what I like without people worrying about waiting for me because the other veterans and the volunteers understand what I’m going through,” she explained. “I won’t have to explain myself and I’ll be able to see other people. This will be a safe haven for me.”

The ASF’s Warriors in Motion program is funded by donations that were generously given to the organization. Thanks to these donations, the Adaptive Sports Foundation will be able to provide water bottles, all meals, snacks, water, sports drinks, sunscreen, bug spray, ponchos (if necessary) and trail maps for this upcoming event.

For more information about the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program, or any of the other programs the ASF has to offer, visit www.adaptivesportsfoundation.org.