Adventure Story Contest :: Stephen's Adventure :: As seen in Outside Magazine
|
"I've been backpacking for years. As a kid, I loved hiking and I've really been an outdoor fanatic ever since. I lived in Massachusetts for most of life which was great. But then I realized in my mid-twenties that I wanted to be near the mountains. So I picked up and moved to Oregon.
The longest time I've been away from civilization is 28 days when I completed a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course in Wyoming. Talk about experiences... I learned and saw a ton on that trip. After that, I knew I couldn't have a life without doing something in the outdoors. So, I joined The Mountain Shop as an equipment buyer. It gives me a chance to see the new gear and talk about products that I love. Last summer, I decided I wanted to fulfill one of my biggest dreams which was to take a national adventure on my BMW 1150 GS motorcycle. As I mentioned in the Outside Magazine ad, I did really travel for a full two months and 14,000 miles, through 26 states. It all started with a buddy of mine. We first went North to Alaska where it was so amazing with the long hours of daylight. The only bad thing is that we ended up with three flat tires along the Cassiar Highway. We ventured South through Banff and Glacier, which were some of the more beautiful areas. Then we went to Yellowstone, the Black Hills and of course had to stop at the Corn Palace. I was really feeling like Easy Rider... cruising along the highway. We usually stopped at greasy spoons and any landmark that we could find. As we rode across the Midwest, we stopped at the Jolly Green Giant in Minnesota, the Largest Six Pack of Beer in Wisconsin and on to Fenway Park in Boston. After spending a lengthy time back in my home territory of the East Coast, I went West to Colorado. I loved seeing the fourteener mountains as backdrops, only wished we had time to climb a few. After touring through Mesa Verde and Telluride, I worked out the trip so that we could land in Utah for the Summer Outdoor Retailer tradeshow. From the OR show I went to Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Escalantes and Capital Reef. Southern Utah is truly amazing with a new surprise around every corner. My last week was spent going through Death Valley and the Bay Area. The funniest thing on the trip was being awaken at 6 a.m. by a herd of fly fisherman who were swirling flies just three feet from my head because there was a bubbling stream running through our camp site. If I could give advice to outdoor enthusiasts it would be to have fun and always bring earplugs for campgrounds." Click here to see how Sierra Designs was used by Stephen, a person in the know. |
 |