07/09/2026
Rocky Mountain Heroes Foundation (RMHF) is pleased to announce the opening of our search for our next youth elk hunter as part of our 2nd Annual Silas Gardner Memorial Hunt. In the Fall of 2025, the Colorado Springs-based Gardner family was devastated by a dirt bike accident, and the loss of 13-year-old Silas. Silas’ twin brother, Abel, was selected for a special elk hunt on the 5 Meadows Ranch in Southeast Colorado. After the hunt, the team decided this hunt would become an annual event to honor young Silas each year with a special hunt for a Colorado/Wyoming Veteran family that has experienced significant hardship.
We are asking our Veteran and RMHF membership community to help us identify a deserving Colorado or Wyoming family for this memorial hunt. If you know a worthy family with a youth between 12 & 16 yrs old that is deserving, please send a brief overview/ nomination to RMHF President Brian “Sol” Soliday ([email protected]).
The selection will be made by young Abel, his father Erich (Active Duty, US Army 10th Special Forces), 5 Meadows Ranch landowners, Water Valley Company, Colorado Eagles Foundation, and RMHF.