Mountain Quest 2024 Wrap-Up This year’s (2024) Mountain Quest marked the 24th iteration of this cornerstone To-Shin Do event, and it never ceases to amaze me how it just keeps getting better and better! Several factors made this year’s Mountain Quest truly special. For starters, the weather was absolutely spectacular. Typically, Mountain Quest is known as a “Character Building” weekend due to the usual heavy rain, but this year, we were blessed with clear skies, cool nights, and perfect training temperatures. Our Blackbelt graduating class was particularly powerful and inspiring. From Chapel Hill Quest, we had Emily C., Asa F., Benjamin B., Tyler J., Zack V., and Sebastian S. From the Orlando To-Shin Do Center, we had Greg M. and Jonathon D. These eight incredible individuals earned their Sho-dan (first-degree blackbelt) ranks. Thomas T., from Quest Martial Arts Raleigh, achieved his Nidan (second-degree blackbelt) rank. Following Mountain Quest’s Rite-of-Passage customs, all nine performed a demonstration of their taijutsu abilities and then underwent a free-response session against multiple attackers. Under a canopy of ancient trees, on the edge of a cliffside clearing deep in the North Carolina mountains, An-Shu Stephen K. Hayes (the founder of To-Shin Do) sat alongside several of his senior-most students, witnessing their dedication and skill. An-Shu Hayes kicked off the weekend’s training with a meditation-focused day on Friday. Throughout the weekend, he shared material from the “Kuji-no-bo” in the form of bo-jutsu and unarmed techniques. Scott Akitoshi Bragg led sessions on proper positioning, and I also had the opportunity to share my insights on using taijutsu in a clinch with your opponent. We are already planning Mountain Quest 2025 and hope that you will join us for another unforgettable experience! Let’s make it the best one yet!
