Our Austin, Texas store just got a new team member! We chatted with him to learn more about him as a person beyond his job title: Early memories of the outdoors, what brought him to ACK, his latest adventure hiking the Appalachian Trail, and more.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. My first experience paddling was in a row boat that my father built for me. By age 12, I was starting to try fishing from a kayak and my passion for kayak fishing grew from there. I attended the University of Alabama where I got a Bachelor of Science in Operations Management. I have worked in both automotive and furniture manufacturing and have studied Six Sigma and Lean methodologies. Recently, I took a break from work to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. After finishing my hike, I decided I wanted to work in the outdoor industry, which led me to Austin Canoe and Kayak.
What is your earliest memory of the outdoors?
The first memories I have of the outdoors are from trips down to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. I caught fish using hook and line from piers, and used dip and seine nets to gather specimens at the beach. My parents would teach me how to identify the species I found using field guides. If I was having trouble catching creatures, I’d grab my boogie board and catch a wave instead!
Describe your ideal outdoor adventure weekend.
I’m a pretty flexible guy with a wide range of interests, so many different trips qualify as ideal for me! My favorite thing to do is to sleep under the stars in a place where I cannot perceive any light or sound pollution at all. Whatever the activity during the day– typically hiking or kayaking–any trip where I get to sleep out in the forest, desert, or up on a mountain sounds good to me.
What inspired you to hike the Appalachian trail?
Back in college my friend Rob invited me to join him and the Auburn University Outdoor Adventure Club on a weekend trip on the Appalachian Trail. I had been car camping a few times, but had never backpacked and never really hiked. I had some gear that I had accumulated over the years, but had never actually carried it on my back. I remember walking up and down the stairs at my apartment complex a few times to “prepare” for the trip and figured I’d be fine.
We found the trail head in the dark, and covered our first miles of the trip by headlamp. I’m not sure what my pack ended up weighing, but after a few miles of trail it seemed like a hundred pounds. I couldn’t believe how narrow, rocky, and root covered the trail was! The weather was freezing and I got very little sleep on the 2-night, 3-day trip. I was the last of our party to make it to our final camp site at the summit of Blood Mountain, Georgia. I remember stopping to rest several times in the snow. All that hardship made the view from the summit even better–I had truly earned it.That night the whole group huddled together in the old stone shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) back in the 1930s, trying to stay warm.
In some ways those were the most miserable few days of my life up to that point, but they challenged me in a way I had never before experienced. After the trip, I kept thinking about the AT. I became obsessed with the idea of challenging myself to walk the entire length of the trail which had so soundly defeated me on my first foray.
I slowly put together a kit with a base weight around 16 pounds, and ended up hitting the trail after I graduated in 2013. That attempt resulted in me getting off the trail after around a thousand miles, so in 2016 I quit my job and went back to Georgia to try again. The months I have spent on the trail have been some of the best times of my life.
What were your must have products for the journey?
One of the things that made my trip in 2016 so enjoyable was the fact that I had gained the experience needed to put together a lightweight (12.28 pound base weight) pack which kept me safe and comfortable in every type of weather you could imagine for the East Coast over an almost 6-month trip. I’d love to share a few of my favorite items from the trail:
First thing’s first–I gotta talk about my food preparation! Food is the most important thing to any long-distance hiker, and I am no exception. I have used MSR products for a long time now, and I found the MSR MicroRocket Stove to be extremely reliable, easy to use, and lightweight. When weather conditions and local regulations permitted, I would cook over an open fire, but most nights, especially towards the end of the trail when I no longer had the energy to spare to collect firewood, I would just crank up my MicroRocket and have dinner ready in under 5 minutes. It weighs under 4 ounces and is super tough. I expect it to last me many more trips to come.
One of my most luxurious upgrades I purchased on the trail was my Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Mattress. I finally caved and bought this inflatable after my body refused to stop protesting my decision to sleep on a closed cell foam Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest SOLite, which I had used for years. The difference was astounding. I slept better and longer on the XLite, and the 12 ounce weight meant I could hike longer and faster as well. My concern with inflatables on a long hike is that if one fails you in the middle of nowhere you will have to sleep on the cold hard ground until you can find another one. By the end of the trail, it did seem as though my XLite had developed a slow leak, but the quality of sleep I achieved with it means it still has earned a place in my go-to gear box. With both the Ridge Rest and the XLite I found a size “regular” to be sufficient, despite my 6’2″ height. I would simply let my feet rest on my backpack, clothing, or my food bag (if I was unable to find a good tree to hang it from).
Towards the end of the trail, I decided I wanted to begin my summit of Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT, in the dark so that the sun would rise as I cleared tree line. Up until the final days of the trail, I carried a Petzl e+Lite Ultra-Compact Emergency Headlamp as my only light source. This headlamp is smaller than a pecan and weighs under an ounce. The light served me well from Georgia to Maine, but it just didn’t provide enough light for me to be confident using it to scale the nearly vertical sections of Katahdin in the predawn hours. I picked up a Black Diamond Spot Headlamp and used it for the beginning of my final ascent. This light is so versatile! With one button you can adjust from a very dim red light for organizing things in your tent or reading at night, to a super bright spot light which allowed me to spot blazes in the dark while clambering up the rocky approach to the Table Lands. I still use this headlamp to read in bed every night and haven’t changed the batteries once!
What are you most excited about working at ACK?
For me, the most exciting part of working at ACK is getting to help people get the gear they need to make the most of their outdoor experiences. A comfortable night out of doors or a day spent in a quality kayak appropriate for your needs are the kinds of experiences that can lead to a lifelong relationship with our natural environment. I think that outdoor recreation enhances life and builds character and skills we can use in every facet of life. I am also a huge proponent of environmental protection and conservation. I believe that the more people we get out in the woods or on the water, the more people we will have fighting for the preservation of these places.
What would you say are your outdoor industry areas of expertise? What can ACK customers come to talk to you about?
The outdoor activity I have been doing the longest is saltwater fishing, very often from a Hobie Mirage Outback Kayak. When I was younger I also worked on an inshore charter boat, so I learned to fish for king and spanish mackerel, redfish, cobia, tarpon, trout, flounder, and snapper. Sharks are also always a fun catch. I’ve been away from the salt for a few years now, but still like to fish for these species whenever I get the chance and would happily share my knowledge with anyone looking to get into saltwater fishing.
I’d say I’m equally well-versed in hiking and backpacking, having backpacked around 3,000 miles in the past few years. I’ve carried a pack on both the east and west coasts of the United States, in addition to a few trails in New Zealand. Backpacking is a great way to fully immerse yourself in nature and I’d recommend it to everyone, regardless of skill level or age. There are trails and backcountry camping options to suit almost everyone. Whether you are planning an overnighter or a 6-month thru hike, I’d be glad to talk backpacking any time.
My most recent hobby is whitewater kayaking. I started paddling whitewater in 2015 and it has become somewhat of an obsession. One of my favorite destinations on my days off is the whitewater play park at Rio Vista in San Marcos. I am still a novice, with a fairly strong on-side roll, so I enjoy paddling class 2 to 3 rivers. One of my goals for 2017 is to get together or find a group of Austin paddlers to help each other work on our skills, while also providing a network and river family so that I know who to call when the creeks start running. Whitewater paddling is beyond fun, but can also be dangerous. Never paddle alone, and always carry the bare minimum in safety gear– a PFD, a kayak helmet, and a good throw rope. I’d be happy to help set people up with this gear and I’m looking forward to meeting up with Austin paddlers!