Uncovering Our History: The Genesis of HGO

God's hand has guided the formation of His Great Outdoors since 2018. It all started with an invite to chase salmon during the Michigan fall river run on the west side of the Mitten State. I was a fisherman for sure but had never gone after salmon before. So, a friend and I left at about 4am to head to the river for nothing I was truly expecting. I only had a seven foot medium action rod I had used years back in my bass tournament days, not waders and a pair of flip flops. He gave me some split shot, a hook, and a spawn sack then pointed me to a fish in the river. Meanwhile, he went a little further up river to find some more fish. I cast at that fish for nearly 2 hours and couldn't get it to bite until.... it did and the river exploded! I yelled for some help and fought the behemoth king salmon for 15 minutes before eventually breaking it off. The rest is history! Over the next couple of years, I would take my son to the river and chase the king salmon run as much as I could find time for. As I grew in experience (and upgraded equipment), I started to take people with me. Conversation would happen there in the river and on the way home that had never seemed to happen before. It seemed the walls the people put up were falling down. A father and sons were having their first real conversation they had in years. A father and daughter bonded and trust was built. A pastor found refreshment and refueling after far too long without a sabbath. SO, over the years His Great Outdoors has grown. What started out as being funded out of Pastor Scott's own pocket and through a little help from the church he pastors is now finalizing it's own 501c3 paperwork. See the next post to learn more about how one random meeting at a gas station has fueled his son's passion to do more with His Great Outdoors!