66 • NOVEMBER 2022
go have fun. This trip was created to be an opportunity for the group to form an unbreakable bond with each other that would span decades—and so far, it had done just that. Next thing we knew, four years had gone by, and we’d already made life-long memories with each other that we’ll be able to talk about forever. But little did we know, the best was yet to come. I would consider trips 5-11 to be the most iconic years of the mission—just because of our ages. We went all over and continued to make memories, but the later years started to feel a little different. We were getting older. During our sixth trip, which was in Nashville, the dads decided to try something new that they had heard might be cool. These places were called escape rooms—and they were new to the entertainment scene and quickly gaining popularity. The escape room experience was a turning point for the secret mission, and we have not done a single mission since without completing one or two of them—a continued staple of the trip. The bond of the group grew greater with the revelation of escape rooms, and the core traditions of the trip had been cemented. There could be no secret mission without the basics—scavenger hunt, escape rooms, and late-night conversations over card games. We had no idea how important these traditions would be in forming the relationships we have with each other today. After 11 years of the trip, we had watched NBA and NHL games together, had gone to Dave and Busters more times than the average person should, and experienced some of America’s greatest cities together. We’d ziplined, boat toured, ice skated, and theme park hopped. It was hard to grasp how much the trip had grown, and more importantly how much we had grown since the secret mission’s beginning. It’s still baffles me to think that we went from taking a train to Brookhaven to taking a flight to Chicago, making lifelong memories all along the way. The last few years of the secret mission have looked a little different. With COVID-19 and all the challenges that it brought to planning a trip, we were provided the opportunity to slow down and change the trip’s dynamic. We started as young kids—but now all but one of us are either in college or graduated college. We’ve grown up—and the secret mission has found yet a new meaning. Before, it was about keeping the kids entertained. Now, it’s about keeping the kids close. We used to talk about our favorite toys and how our sports were going, and now we talk about our values and what’s really going on in our lives. I’m not completely sure that any of us knew where the secret mission was going to end up, or how close we would become as a group, but I am beyond grateful for it. Thankfully the tradition is far from over. But it’s still fun to look back and reminisce over the times we’ve had so far. Looking back at the pictures, documenting the countless memories we have made, and charting the growth of the trip and the group really allows me to grasp the true meaning of our time together. The unbreakable bond and community we have formed makes the trip that much more worthwhile. I would want nothing more than to be able to keep the secret mission going with my own children with the hopes of creating the same traditions and instilling the same values that our fathers have created and instilled in us. I grow more and more grateful every day for the sacrifices that have been made and the time that our dads have spent crafting this trip to become what it has, and I hope that this tradition is one that will be handed through generations because of their efforts. I can think of no greater legacy. So here I sit, writing this piece as a sophomore in college, with the same enthusiasm and anticipation for this year’s trip that that six-year-old had sitting in the train station in Jackson thirteen years ago. We’ve been to Brookhaven, New Orleans, Memphis, Little Rock, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Asheville, Huntsville, and Orlando. And as time would tell, I have a completely different appreciation for the secret mission than I ever would have imagined. I am beyond grateful for the community-turned-family that I get to do it with, and I’m eager to see where it leads us in the future. And more than anything, I am extremely excited for this year’s trip. Of course, I don’t know where we’re going. They still keep it a secret. And like they’ve always told us, we’ll just have to find out. Hometown MADISON • 67