4Patriots Contributes to Veterans Adventure Group’s Mt. Rainier Challenge

Those of you who’ve read Cade Courtley’s emails and seen his videos over the past couple of years will not be surprised by this information.

Cade is a former Navy SEAL platoon commander, and he’s been using and endorsing 4Patriots and Patriot Health Alliance products for several years now.

Cade is not the type to sit around with his feet up. Unless maybe he’s just climbed a mountain. The folks in the Veterans Adventure Group (VAG) are the same way. 

So, it was a natural fit for Cade to join 27 of those vets plus three other individuals in June for a climb of Mt. Rainier. Located 60 miles south-southeast of Seattle, it’s the highest mountain in the state of Washington at 14,411 feet.

Cade Gets His Rematch With Mt. Rainier

“I have some history with Mt. Rainier,” Cade said. “In 1998 I formed an all-Navy SEAL team of climbers with the ultimate goal to summit Mt. Everest and plant the Navy flag. We thought that a winter ascent of Mt. Rainier would be a great training climb for this mission. 

“Only two days into our ascent, Mother Nature decided to throw a major obstacle in our way as the weather went from bad to deadly. Blizzard conditions forced us into snow caves for two days at 11,000 feet before we were ultimately forced to turn back. 

“I mentioned to Veterans Adventure Group founder Justin (Matejcek) that I was honored to be joining this group and that I had some unfinished business on the mountain, albeit 24 years later. 

“We started up the mountain and arrived at Camp Muir (10,500 feet), our base camp, ahead of the weather in just under seven hours. Unfortunately, our luck had run out. 

“We learned that due to the 300% over normal snowfall Mt. Rainier had received in the spring, the avalanche danger between us and the summit was incredibly high. In fact, no team had been able to summit in over two weeks.

Nothing Builds Trust Like Teamwork 

“And this included a team from France that has climbed every major mountain in the world. Well, you can’t mess with Mother Nature. After a few minutes of disappointment, we decided to make the most of the time we had on this mountain.

“We practiced rope team skills to include multiple rescue techniques and systems. We each got the opportunity to hang off a 150-foot sheer drop, simulating a fall while the team above solved how they would ultimately pull us back up.

“Putting your life in the hands of your teammates with a successful conclusion… (that was an) experience many of us have not lived since our time in service.

“This is exactly what many of us miss the most from our time in the service. Being in an uncomfortable situation, but knowing we’re all in it together, and doing whatever you can to help your buddy. It was an epic trip with an amazing group.”

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Civilian Life

And that’s what Veterans Adventure Group is all about as well. When Americans serve in the armed forces, they are given a mission. They develop a sense of duty and purpose, and they benefit from a committed network of support.

But what happens when those soldiers return to civilian life? What if they no longer have a mission, a sense of duty, a purpose or a network of support? 

Unfortunately, many U.S. veterans find themselves in that exact position. Some turn to alcohol or drugs to fill a void. An alarming number commit suicide.

Based in Middle Tennessee, Veterans Adventure Group was launched by Justin in 2015. He sought to establish an opportunity for veterans to avoid or rebound from the pitfalls associated with leaving the service and rejoining civilian life.

Appreciation for 4Patriots Products

In the past, 4Patriots and PHA made donations to VAG in the form of an air purifier, survival food and Sun Kettles. As well as Solar Sentry Lights, BugOUT Lanterns and health supplements including Patriot Power Greens.

For the 2022 Mt. Rainier climb, 4Patriots made a $10,000 donation and also contributed Emergency Food Bars, Patriot Power Cells and Survival Food. This was just one part of our “$1K Per Day” commitment in which we will donate $365,000 to worthy causes during 2022.  

Anthony Leon Guerrero was one of the veteran participants. “The care package was awesome!” he said. “I loved it and will definitely put some of it to use.”

“Thank you so much!” Justin said. “Seriously, everything you’ve done for us has been amazing and very much appreciated. I know all the participants took their gift bags and seemed really excited to have received them.

“Cade was amazing to have up there and we all really enjoyed getting to have some direct representation from 4Patriots on site.”