John Berger’s Recovery, and the Nonprofit He Built From It

The last time John Berger was on this show, he told us how he got here, injured in the fire service in 1979 and losing his hand about 20 years later, and how the outdoors became part of finding his way back. This episode, we brought him back along with his longtime friend and colleague Fernando to talk about what he decided to do with that recovery: turning Cummings Creek Retreat into a nonprofit built for disabled veterans and first responders.

Watch the full episode below, or keep reading for the rundown.

Who Is John Berger, and Who’s Fernando

If you’re new here, John’s been a friend of the show and of the family for a while. He owns the ranch behind Cummings Creek Retreat, where we’ve spent real time hunting, building food plots, and just being outside together. This episode he brought along Fernando, his friend and colleague of 25 years and the nonprofit’s marketing director. Fernando has his own recovery story, a transplant that put him into a real depression before John helped pull him out of it. The two of them have been leaning on each other for decades, and that friendship is a lot of why this mission exists in the first place.

John’s Injury, and 25 Years Teaching Fire Safety

John was injured in the fire service back in 1979, and he’s still dealing with the effects of it today. About 20 years ago he lost his hand, a second hit that, in his own words, tore him apart emotionally in a way the first injury didn’t. He’s honest that unless something traumatic happens to you, you don’t really know what that feeling is.

What he and Fernando built out of that is remarkable on its own merits, separate from the retreat entirely. For 25 years, the two of them taught wildland fire safety classes across Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, sometimes driving out to teach contractors’ crews as they came off the mountain at 10pm and running classes until 2 or 3 in the morning. They estimate they’ve trained more than 50,000 people over that span. Not one of them has been injured on the fires they prepared them for. That record is the foundation this whole mission stands on.

Why John and Ron Walked Away From the For-Profit Model

Cummings Creek started as a for-profit retreat. John and his business partner Ron own the nonprofit now and take no salary from it, Fernando’s marketing role is the only paid overhead in the whole operation. John’s answer for why is straightforward, his own recovery taught him things about trauma and healing that he can’t unlearn, and he wants to put that specifically toward disabled veterans and first responders, the people who’ve given the most and often have the least support waiting for them afterward.

Inside the Mission: What Cummings Creek Retreat Actually Is

It’s not a fitness facility. John’s clear about that. It’s a place to get out, relax, and let nature do what it does, which he says it will if you let it. The retreat is built specifically so that disability isn’t a barrier to getting outside. The archery courses are wheelchair-accessible, built around a Defender vehicle that can carry a wheelchair and a person up the course, stop at each target, and move on to the next one. The shooting range has been improved with a target at 130 yards and a gong at 135. The main cabin is built for community as much as recovery, evenings spent watching a show together and just talking turn out to matter as much as anything more structured.

This conversation happens at a heavy moment. As of recording, roughly 20,000 firefighters are working Oregon’s wildfires, and the state lost three of them in the days just before this episode, two in a helicopter, one in a bulldozer. That’s exactly the community this mission exists for, and it’s not an abstract cause to either of these two men.

How to Get Involved

We’re doing this episode because we believe in what John and Fernando are building, not because we’re being paid to say so. If you want to visit, donate, or just learn more, everything’s at cummingscreekretreat.com, including a way to reach John directly. Registration covers accommodations for food allergies or physical impairments, and any voicemail gets a callback within 24 hours. It’s open to everyone, veterans, first responders, and anyone who wants to be part of it.

FAQ

Who is John Berger?

John Berger owns the ranch behind Cummings Creek Retreat and has been a longtime friend of the Road Hunter Podcast. He was injured in the fire service in 1979 and lost his hand about 20 years later.

Who is Fernando?

Fernando is John’s friend and colleague of 25 years and the marketing director for the Cummings Creek Retreat nonprofit. He has his own recovery story from a transplant and the depression that followed it.

What is Cummings Creek Retreat becoming?

John and his partner Ron have turned it from a for-profit hunting retreat into a nonprofit built for disabled veterans and first responders, offering wheelchair-accessible archery, an improved shooting range, and a community-focused main cabin.

How can I support or visit Cummings Creek Retreat?

Visit cummingscreekretreat.com to register, donate, or reach John directly. The site covers accommodations for food allergies or physical impairments, and it’s open to everyone.

Is Failed Outdoors being paid to promote this nonprofit?

No. We’re covering it because we believe in it personally, not as a sponsored placement.

Get Out There

John and Fernando have both lived the exact recovery they’re now trying to give other people, and that’s the whole reason this one’s worth your time. We’ll see you in the next one.