My wife Courtney and I started going out and cutting a live Christmas tree before we were even married. The first Christmas after we got married, we went to the Christmas tree farm and cut down a tree and brought it home to the duplex. I cut the netting off and to say the least we left marks on the door facing tugging that beast through the door. We have continued this tradition with our kids annually. This is a Get Out that we have been doing for over 20 years. Here in Arkansas you never know what the weather will be like. Sometimes it is freezing, sometimes we could go in shorts, sometimes the wind almost knocks you down, and sometimes there is even snow on the ground. We all go out together and choose our tree. Now that the kids are teenagers they know what Dad is going to say, we need a short and narrow tree because when we get it home and inside the house it is going to look a lot bigger than it does out here at the tree farm. This is a tradition that our entire family looks forward to every year for Christmas.

Based in Fort Smith, AR, Dennis has spent over a quarter century serving, leading, training, and mentoring many young boys into men in the outdoors through Boy Scouts as their Scoutmaster.  Dennis began his love of the outdoors when he was 5 years old; camping and riding dirt bikes with his family in the National Forests in Arkansas in the mid 1970s.  In April of 2012, while drooling and dreaming of adventure travel, Dennis found a reference to the 4th Annual Overland Expo @ Lake Mormon outside of Flag Staff, AZ.  So for Father’s day; Dennis, his father, and brother loaded up and drove all night to Lake Mormon from Arkansas and experience the Overland Expo. This started a hobby that Dennis could enjoy with family and friends.  Dennis spends his free time out in the Woodz hiking, backpacking, snow skiing, mountain biking, and driving his overland rig, a 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Get Out Into The Woodz

Where does The Woodz come from? My last name is Wood and more times than I can recount has been mistakenly mispronounced as Woods my entire life. We like to say we are one tree, not the entire forest. Our family has some property that we named “The Woodz” so that when we were going there, we all say we are going to “The Woodz.” So that is where “The Woodz” comes from.

What does, “Get Out Into The Woodz” represent? It is my way of saying Get out and do something you have never done before. Get out of the grind or rut. Get out into God’s Creation. Get into the outdoors. Get out of the house. Get out of the city. You get the picture.

This Blog is a way I can share my experiences of getting out. My hope is that I can inspire you to get out with family and friends and to get out more. Get out and explore, experience, and enjoy God’s creation. See you out there!