
Shawn
"Hiking and outdoors isn’t just a hobby, it’s life for me."
I am an avid outdoor lover. The outdoors to me is the best medicine for stress and anxiety. I feel that escaping the modern edge of technology and automation that we are so used to in our lives helps to make us stronger and healthier as human beings. You can frequently find me exploring my local National Forest, state parks and any other public lands that I can get myself to. My favorite kinds of forested environments are those with huge bluffs and extraordinary rock formations. I can never get enough of these special places.
My outdoor journey started a few years ago when I realized that I was overweight and leading a very unhealthy lifestyle at a very young age. It scared me. I decided to buy a mountain bike and start riding every couple of weekends. The first time back on a bike since I was a kid was enough to get me hooked. It turned into an every weekend thing for me and eventually caused me to purchase my first road bike which turned into an everyday activity. I lost a lot of weight for bicycling. I started making healthier decisions and I finally regained control of my life.
After cycling so much, I started to burn out on it and that scared me. I didn’t want to go back to my old unhealthy ways. I found hiking to be a great balance to enjoy both activities and remain healthy. My hiking activities eventually caused me to create a YouTube channel to show the local trails to my family and friends. Little did I know, that YouTube channel would awaken a local fan-ship and transform me into a regional celebrity.
Now after 1,000+ subscriber later, and nearly 400 videos – YouTube has turned my hiking hobby into a lifelong passion. Because I want to get video all the time, I am always out and it has increased my health benefits. I honestly feel younger now in my 30s than I did when I was in my 20s.