Adventure is out there...

Adventure is key in life. It can be defined by people in many different ways, but overall we need to have adventure.  For some it could be the connection to others when gathering, for some it requires a bit more of a jolt, like a theme park or amusement ride.  I, however, consider venturing into the outdoors as adventuring.

From a young age I enjoyed the time I spent in the outdoors.  My family wasn't much for camping, but I do remember my father taking me and my brother camping on a father/son campout when I was very young. I would guess I was around 6-7. I remember from this trip 3 things.  1. that it was cold. Not bitter cold, but simply that cool feeling that comes with spring or fall. I cannot remember which season it was, but it was not the heat of summer. 2. we ate some eggs cooked over the fire, they were really good, but not cooked how my mother made eggs so it was a different experience. and 3. That I loved the freedom I felt when my brother and I played around camp.  To this day I still credit that camping experience for my love of the outdoors. Later at 12 I began backpacking, then climbing. I dabbled in mountain biking some at the time, but bikes were expensive.  At 16 I longed for the adventure of being off-road, but seemed to only get lemons when looking for the right 4wd.  Later I began kayaking.  I found immense freedom with kayaking and the adventure that was connected to it was grand.  Man vs. nature in a battle to flow cleanly down a wild river, over rapids and water falls to a takeout point. The only competitor was myself and the challenge could be dangerous.

Colorado Trip 2013

Excursion trip 2014

Now Here I am at 33.  Still craving adventure, but now looking to combine my love of everything outdoors into a career, hobby and lifestyle. Taking concepts like Overlanding and Kayaking and meshing them together into a series of adventures that will not only fill my need, but I hope to share that love with my wife and 4 kids.  My children (10,9,6,22months) are no strangers to outdoor adventures.  We backpack as a family fairly regularly and even our youngest braved the outdoors as young as 8 months being carried on my back for a 2 day trip. It is time to share the adventure with them on a large scale.  My wife and I have planned to make an overloading trip out west to WY, ID, UT, and CO.  This 16 day trek with be full of the adventure above.  We have added friends who are close to us, the Shands, who as I type this are getting their vehicle ready for overland travel.  We will be adventuring into our "unknown" and for us at this point, it's fantastic.  We plan on this being a stepping stone towards an Overlanding trip to Canada and Alaska, with hopes of doing a Central and South America trip a few years down the road.

As with most of my adventures and my connection to the outdoor industry I have begun the process of asking for sponsorships.  A few companies have come on board and I will post about their company, products and give honest reviews as we get close to our trip.  With a departure date of June 5th we have a lot to do and very little time. If you read this and feel inspired to sponsor us in some way, please let me know. Our route is open and the plan is flexible, we are open to the adventure.

To help document, I will include potential budget costs as well as actual budget costs. I also hope to include a mountain of pictures that will be inspiring to those travelers with families.

Share this blog, stay tuned, subscribe, and overall seek adventure!

Tommy

For your viewing pleasure, I have added a few photos of previous adventures.

We are going to revitalize this blog.  Stay tuned and keep posted! If you love the outdoors we will be doing posts specifically on equipment, practices and more.  Outdoor Instructor and Experiential Counselor Tommy Clapp will be leading the way. Other guest Bloggers will be joining in as well.  A small video series will be connected with this blog.  Subscribe here Outdoor Videos