Expedition Unlikely

I met JD Weatherspoon through the Instagram account for Camping to Connect. Which is just one of the ventures that he has cofounded to help reconnect men and young men to themselves and nature.In our conversation JD does a great job of helping us understand some of the deeper reasons to got outside and force yourself to think differently. Then he takes us through the logistics of taking a larger group outside on an adventure. And we find that many of these can apply to any size group that you have.You can follow them and support their effort at campingtoconnect on Instagram or find their website for more information. https://campingtoconnect.com/ 

There are a lot of terms in the outdoor experience that are believed to be common knowledge. And they are only common knowledge if you have spent time in the outdoors. And if you haven't, they are confusing and intimidating.We received an email from a listener asking to clear a few things up. And we cover only a few of the many.But we are making a commitment to you to explain ourselves as we go, and bring you along with us.

Austin is known for keeping it weird. But when my wife and I planned a long weekend there, we found less weird, and lots of outside.I'm happy to share with you how our simple weekend away turned into a wonderful adventure outside. And it really took just a little effort, and next to no planning.I think this can show you how easy it can be if you slow down and are willing to just be adventurous. 

When we spent Time with Tara Sliwkanich, she had so much advice to give, we couldn't fit it all into one episode. In the first episode with her, she gave us some really good stories. This time we focused on the great advice and inspiration she has.

Our first guest is an amazing roll model for anyone who wants to get outside with their young kids. But not all of her adventures have been a success.She shares with us how she got started in the outdoors with her family growing up. And then how her, her spouse, and her 18 month old have not always had the adventures they set out for. Tara will inspire you to take a shot at stepping outside, and give you the support and advice you need.

Packing light is key to having a great experience.Is it too much to ask to have great food too? Depends on who you ask. If it is your 40 year old knee, you might not like what you hear.This episode is the last in the series of the 4 keys to having a great outdoor adventure.

This is the last of 4 parts on the theory to a great experience.We all have a natural tendency to bring everything we might need. And we have been conditioned to believe some false beliefs on what that is.So if that's not it, what is it? How do we pack light?I can tell you, it's not always about the gear.

Here is an unscripted episode that has no plan B, about a plan B, that could have used a plan C.I share a story of visiting Canada without a passport. And we pay the price for it. What do the say, revenge is best served cold. In this case it is served cold and wet.Take some notes, have a plan B, cause you don't always get lucky.

After we have figured out our goal and gone through our commitments, we need to think about a Plan B.A Plan B will help you achieve your goal, find success in your outdoor adventures, and keep you and your family safe. And in this episode we talk through how to identify a Plan B and what you can do to start to formulate one.We also review the worst way to cook Mac-N-Cheese.

In the last episode we started to understand what commitments we need to pay attention to when planning our outdoor adventure.In this episode we learn that not all time outside sounds like an adventure. And because of that we can underestimate our commitments and get complacent. A garden is a great way to spend time with your family outside. In this story you will hear how quickly your goals of that garden can slip through your fingers if you aren't paying attention.

We've set our goal. Now we have to understand what kind of commitment we are in for.And if you really look at breaking these down, it's pretty easy to give up. But stay with me here. You can use the understanding of these commitments to your advantage. We will talk about the 4 categories of commitments you will have to evaluate. Time, money, skill, and safety. If you understand these and believe in your goal, you can shape a successful adventure.

Today I'm going to share a story of when I didn't set a goal for a summer vacation we took and it shows. The experience we had did not have a direction and it didn't give our family what it needed at the time. As I look back on it I worry what impact it had on my family when I know it could have been so much more. Setting a goal would have given us the direction we needed to be better prepared for what was coming.

In this episode we talk about the first key to the four part theory that I have to helping get you and your family outside.Setting goals for you adventure will make it easier to make choices on what you are going to do. It will keep you true to why you decided to spend time outside in the first place.  And a goal will help you find the success that you, your family, your friends, and others will want to recreate.

This is the first episode of Expedition Unlikely where we have an introduction to the host and the theory that could help you spend more time in the outdoors. Everyone can have unique hurdles to spending time outside, and we can overcome those hurdles together. Understanding why we want to get outside is important. Then we can talk about how we will spend more time outside. In the next 8 episodes we will start to understand and share some stories about setting goals, reviewing our commitments, having a plan B, and how to pack light. 

Join us and on a new journey to get you and your family connected with each other and a little bit of nature outside.Full episodes will be launching in November.