Why outside isn’t so scary.

Over the years, a lot of people have told me that they would like to do more outdoorsy stuff but they don’t have any experience.  They said when they walked into a REI they overwhelmed with all the choices… that is if they had the “guts” to walk-in, to begin with.  Many people who did not grow up hiking or camping can be scared to venture into the great unknown, or to do much more than a 1-2 hour hike outside.  What if you don’t bring enough food?  What if it’s cold? Or muddy?  WHAT IF THERE’S A BEAR?

Well, have no fear dear readers, I understand.  However, there is a dirty secret that the outdoor corporations (and some hiking snobs) don’t want you to know.

Going on adventures, hiking, camping and pretty much anything outdoors, is not only very safe, but can be pretty cheap, and it doesn’t really have to be all that complicated.  But the big outdoor companies don’t want you to know that ( Put on your tinfoil hat for my conspiracy theories)!

They want you to think that you need $90 outdoor pants, a $500 tent and $20 camping food, just to survive one night of sleeping outside. But you don’t need that.

You don’t need to have been raised by lumberjacks and know how to tell time using only a stick, the sun, and an L.L Bean catalog (although that would be a cool party trick).

With a little instruction, some common sense and a “can-do” attitude you to can have a great time in the outdoors.  So before you go out and buy a new Jeep Rubicon with a bumper winch and 37″ all terrains, let’s consider what kind of things you want to do in the outdoors:  Camp for a weekend?  Hike for a day? Trek on a glacier in Alaska?

Let the type of activity you are doing dictate your equipment needs.  Some people get really wrapped up in being prepared for every possible circumstance.  What if there are bugs?  What if it hails? What if Martians abduct me? Okay… maybe I took that a little too far (but you get my point).

The point is this, ANYONE is capable of going on their own adventure, be it big or small.  You really don’t need to be intimidated by the aisles of “necessities” and gadgets at your local outdoor store.  My mission with my next few blog posts will be to prove that to you, every single one of you can survive (and thrive!) in the outdoors.

I will take you from your first day hike, to an overnight and weekend trip, and hey, if anyone is dreaming of thru-hiking the AT, I got your back for that too.  So stay tuned.  The outdoors really isn’t so scary.  I’m going to show you.