Oct 22, 2019
Kraig, Dave and I talked about the outdoor and adventure travel industries, podcasting, their numerous adventures and much, much more.
Show Notes
First Exposure to the Outdoors
Kraig- it was totally by accident. About a 12 and a half years ago, I started a little blog called the adventure blog, just to write about the things that I was interested in. From this idea that everything in the world had been done. Everest had been climbed, people had been to the North pole and I was telling my friends, no, it's not true. There's lots of cool stuff going on. So I started this little blog and over the span of about a year, year and a half, it started to pick up some traction. I'd write about my own adventures and travels, but also things that other people were doing. And here we are, a more than a decade later, the blog is still going.
Dave- I went about it completely the other way. I was always a doer. I did my first iron man when I was 50, I taught mountaineering and did all kinds of crazy stuff. I got into adventure racing kind of by accident. Basically we saw this show on Eco-Challenge Borneo, gosh, 10 years or so ago.
A buddy and I were running at Farragut state park here and I said, you know, I saw this eco Borneo thing. I'm going to do an adventure race. I said, I mean, how hard could it be? And he said, great, I'm in. So we started attending these races and of course made the fatal mistake. We actually won our first race through a weird set of circumstances. And of course, then you're hooked.
Things we talked about
The Adventure Podcast Episode 71: An Interview with Rick Saez of the Outdoor Biz Podcast
Kraig's book: Reaching Beyond Boundaries, Overcoming Obstacles, Facing Your Fears
The Adventure Podcast Episode 56: Chad Salmela
The Adventure Podcast - Episode 26: Turning Micro-Adventures into Macro-Adventures
The Adventure Podcast - Episode 18: How to Earn a Living in the Outdoor and Adventure Industry
Other Outdoor Activities
Dave- Mountain Bike, Run, Mountaineering, Paddling
Kraig- Running, Cycling, Biking, Hiking
Advice
Kraig- be persistent and stick with it. Because if you keep chasing that dream, you can find a way in and there are a lot of avenues into the outdoor industry these days. You don't need to be a media guy, or working in a retail store, whatever. There's a lot of different ways, and we talked about it on that podcast. There are so many different ways to get in and do things. So I would say, from the 30,000-foot view, identify what your passion is, go after it and don't give up.
Dave- just start. say, okay I have a goal. I want to do this. But then you've got to be flexible enough to change too. Many people came into the industry thinking they were going to do this and now here they are being a PR person for that. Or they went and got a degree in this thinking that was going to be the way and now they've completely changed around and now they're in marketing. I mean there are so many people that have a plan but then, something comes up and you change. And the main thing is, just don't give up. You just keep going.
Favorite Books/Podcasts
Kraig:
Lord of the Rings by JR Tolkein
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
Reaching Beyond Boundaries by Don Mann and Kraig Becker
Dave:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shibumi by Travanian
Split Second by Douglas E. Richards
Favorite Piece of Gear under $100
Kraig- BioLight headlamp
Dave- Black Diamond Z Poles
Connect with Kraig and Dave
Kraig Becker- Linkedin
Dave Adlard- Linkedin