THE WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, & WHY
July 15th, 2016 will mark ten years since Jon's untimely departure from this earth, and so, to celebrate and remember Jon and his infectiously adventurous spirit, we're throwing a weekend-long party of sorts, kicking off Friday, July 15th at Lake Alturas and "Camp Luthy" (where Jon spent summers working as a camp counselor), and ending Sunday, July 17th with a low-key brunch and copious amounts of group hugs - where Jon's sister Jocelyn and her family have lived since 2006.
[This event is being planned by Matt & Kerri Stebbins (Matt was a dear friend of Jon's after they met working at Camp in 2003), Jon's sister Jocelyn and her husband Doug, and with greatly appreciated help from Pastor Eric and Luther Heights Bible Camp, local community and forest service contacts where necessary, as well as myriad friends and loved ones of Jon's.]
THE PURPOSE OF THE WEEKEND? To remember Jon, together, and to encourage those who knew and loved Jon to gather in one of Jon's favorite of all places for campfire stories, a group hike to "Jon Lake" via the trail to Grand Mogul, awesome home-cooked meals in Stanley, ID at the restaurant Jon's sister and brother-in-law own/operate, and some good, old-fashioned mountain relaxation and adventure time.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL (AND MOSTLY FINAL) ITINERARY.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND, AND/OR FOR SPECIFIC EVENTS.
From Friday - Sunday we'll tell our best and favorite stories about Jon, laugh, cry, stretch our legs, and finish an emotionally charged Saturday with a BBQ and sing-a-long (something Jon would have undoubtedly loved) at The Redd in Stanley (a cozy and fantastic restaurant owned & operated by Jon's awesome sister, Jocelyn, and her culinary wizard husband, Doug). Every event scheduled for the weekend is something Jon himself did while he was living in (and loving) the area, and/or something Jon always wanted to do.
Which brings us to the Jon Francis Adventure Run, or, as we've taken to calling it (with our best Aladdin accents): JFAR. When Jon and Matt were working at Camp, running and adventuring in the Sawtooths (and beyond!), they schemed up an ultra-distance run they hoped to one day tackle together, when they both had a few more miles under their belts, both literally and figuratively. The route would be roughly 100 miles, via as much single-track trail as possible and nearly all Wilderness, and would transport them from Boise, ID to Lake Alturas. It might - and likely would - take them multiple days of nearly non-stop movement, but it was a dream they were excited to one day turn into reality. After looking into route options from Boise to Lake Alturas, Matt thinks a special Sawtooth Circumnav - something else he and Jon schemed all those years ago - will be a better fit for summer celebrations. Matt and Kerri - and anyone crazy enough to join them - will be embarking on those miles most likely later in the summer, and/or in early fall, with the goal of finishing the route at Lake Alturas. (If you're interested in running some of those miles with us, and/or might want to jump in somewhere, shoot us an email, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop for all the long-distance logistics.)
All of that to say: We'll be working hard on all of this in upcoming weeks and months, and will be sure to post any weekend-related updates to this website, so be sure to check back in so you don't miss anything. And don't forget to RSVP!
[This event is being planned by Matt & Kerri Stebbins (Matt was a dear friend of Jon's after they met working at Camp in 2003), Jon's sister Jocelyn and her husband Doug, and with greatly appreciated help from Pastor Eric and Luther Heights Bible Camp, local community and forest service contacts where necessary, as well as myriad friends and loved ones of Jon's.]
THE PURPOSE OF THE WEEKEND? To remember Jon, together, and to encourage those who knew and loved Jon to gather in one of Jon's favorite of all places for campfire stories, a group hike to "Jon Lake" via the trail to Grand Mogul, awesome home-cooked meals in Stanley, ID at the restaurant Jon's sister and brother-in-law own/operate, and some good, old-fashioned mountain relaxation and adventure time.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL (AND MOSTLY FINAL) ITINERARY.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND, AND/OR FOR SPECIFIC EVENTS.
From Friday - Sunday we'll tell our best and favorite stories about Jon, laugh, cry, stretch our legs, and finish an emotionally charged Saturday with a BBQ and sing-a-long (something Jon would have undoubtedly loved) at The Redd in Stanley (a cozy and fantastic restaurant owned & operated by Jon's awesome sister, Jocelyn, and her culinary wizard husband, Doug). Every event scheduled for the weekend is something Jon himself did while he was living in (and loving) the area, and/or something Jon always wanted to do.
Which brings us to the Jon Francis Adventure Run, or, as we've taken to calling it (with our best Aladdin accents): JFAR. When Jon and Matt were working at Camp, running and adventuring in the Sawtooths (and beyond!), they schemed up an ultra-distance run they hoped to one day tackle together, when they both had a few more miles under their belts, both literally and figuratively. The route would be roughly 100 miles, via as much single-track trail as possible and nearly all Wilderness, and would transport them from Boise, ID to Lake Alturas. It might - and likely would - take them multiple days of nearly non-stop movement, but it was a dream they were excited to one day turn into reality. After looking into route options from Boise to Lake Alturas, Matt thinks a special Sawtooth Circumnav - something else he and Jon schemed all those years ago - will be a better fit for summer celebrations. Matt and Kerri - and anyone crazy enough to join them - will be embarking on those miles most likely later in the summer, and/or in early fall, with the goal of finishing the route at Lake Alturas. (If you're interested in running some of those miles with us, and/or might want to jump in somewhere, shoot us an email, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop for all the long-distance logistics.)
All of that to say: We'll be working hard on all of this in upcoming weeks and months, and will be sure to post any weekend-related updates to this website, so be sure to check back in so you don't miss anything. And don't forget to RSVP!