PASTIMES
From left: Shaun Romans, Jeremy Roberts, Terry Trimble, Jason Hillis, Gary Zuber, Aaron Groves, Terry Palmer, Glenn Pruett, Dick Taylor, Robert Kilgore and Ahmed G. Dawlatly.
Trail of brotherhood Annual trip to great outdoors forges friends’ bonds
F By Lisa Kimble
Photos by Jose Trevino
For more than 20 years, a group of men from Bakersfield has been ascending the crest of the Sierra Nevada every summer in search of heaven on Mother Earth and male bonding. “These guys are like brothers to me, straight shooters,” says organizer and retired probation officer Glen Pruett. “We have more fun than we should be allowed to have.” At times, the 10 fun-loving buddies take themselves about as seriously as their nicknames. For three nights and four days, Zoo, The Beav and Pinkie, among others, leave their cares behind on the valley floor to embrace the splendor of the great outdoors while hiking trails of brotherhood. “Believe not anything they may say,” Pruett, aka Sgt. Major wrote in jest in an e-mail. “In theory, we are the manly men, and I would go to the mat for any of them.” Pruett was part of the original group. “Over time, most dropped out and we picked back up again around the summer of 2000.” They haven’t missed a summer since. They 48
Bakersfield Life
April 2011
Camping, fishing, hiking and brotherhood define the annual trips with good friends, including Robert Kilgore.