Men’s Journal – September 2019

do don the blindfold and join hands with

my 17 comrades.

We’re led to the woods, each of us

utterly dependent on the man ahead of us

and responsible for the one behind. When

I signed up for the NWTA, I was down

for a weekend of exploring a more evolved

brand of masculinity. This def initely

wasn’t what I’d envisioned.

THIS IS HOW it starts: On a Friday

afternoon, I pull up outside a low-slung

cinder-block building for the f irst day of

the retreat. A rangy dude in a cowboy hat

is the f irst sign that the weekend is not

going to be as cozy as I expected. After I

park, he approaches and wordlessly stares,

as if he’s a drill sergeant already angry at

me. Seriously? I think.

examination and growth for guys who are

struggling with what it means to be a man,

and 24 hours in, things have been going

pretty well. But now the retreat leaders

want us to blindfold ourselves and get

naked—that is, absent religious or “other”

objections. Actually, I do have one: I don’t

want to. So I keep my underwear on, but I

DON’T WANT TO take off

my shorts. I’m standing

w it h 17 ot her g uys at a con-

ference center in rural West

Virginia, where the New

Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) is

underway. The weekend-long retreat is

designed to spark opportunities for self-

A new generation of men-only retreats has emerged to help guys

get in touch with their feelings. Are they helpful or hogwash?

by BILL HEAVEY

Bonding in the

Backcountry

I

024 SEPTEMBER 2019 MEN’S JOURNAL illustrations by ZOHAR LAZAR

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