Hello Wanderer,
My name is Chris and I welcome you to The Wanderful Wild. I started writing this blog so I could share my passion for the outdoors with others. I would first like to thank you for being here and reading what I have to say. I’m truly grateful for each and every one of my readers.
I wanted to spend a few moments to give you a bit of a back story on who and am and why I am here.
Growing up my family didn’t have a lot when it came to money, but we always had enough. We did a lot of moving around, but we always ended up somewhere with woods. I was the kind of kid that would wake up early in the morning, grab my slingshot, and head out into the woods for the day and didn’t return until dusk. I didn’t come home until I heard my mom call me to come in for meals. It’s safe to say I’ve spent a significant amount of time alone in nature. I loved every single minute of it.
My summer vacations weren’t extravagant by any means. We didn’t travel to distant islands or beaches with palm trees. We didn’t get to stay in fancy resorts either. Our family headed to the woods. My love for the wild started early on in my formative years while on camping trips with my family. If we had a vacation, you can bet that we were camping. In fact, I never had one of those quintessential family vacations until I married and had kids of my own.
As the years of my life marched on, my love for the woods never went away. I craved being out in nature and made it happen whenever I could. While my classmates were heading off to wild weeks on the beach, my college spring breaks were spent out in the mountains roughing it and living off the land. People thought we were crazy, but I will never forget those times.
After college, my first real job was sitting at a desk all day in a busy city. It was quite a change from where I grew up, but I managed to find some tranquility at the larger parks in the area. I still thought of those woods as “city woods”, but it helped make me feel a little more at home. I walked those woods every night after work as a getaway and to recharge a bit. It is also around the time that I started dating my childhood best friend and not long after that, she became my wife.
I am a happily married man. I am one of the lucky ones that got to marry their best friend. It’s hard to find that special someone that you can laugh and share anything with no matter how absurd the conversation gets. Never failing encouragement and support in every hair-brained idea I come up with. That is my Christina. I know I wouldn’t be half the man I am without her.
When we couldn’t be any happier early in our marriage, we had an unexpected joy come into our lives. His name is Noah. Just two short years later, we were surprised again with our second son, Ian.
My two boys and my wife are the reasons I do everything and strive every single day to be a better dad and man. It has been a whirlwind of life raising two boys. I love that they are older now and can share my love for the wild.
They are heavily involved in cub scouts which means for those of you that never had kids in cub scouts or boy scouts, I am also heavily involved in cub scouts by proxy. So much, in fact, I’m the cub master for our local pack and help lead the program for my boys and other kids. It’s there that I realized I love teaching about my experiences and things I have learned over the years. The funny thing is that it hasn’t just been the kids I have taught about the woods – the parents who hang around for meetings, outings, and nature hikes are also eager to learn. I truly enjoy sharing my knowledge about nature and the woods.
It is for this exact reason that I created The Wanderful Wild. I’m an avid camper and backpacker with friends and family. I want to provide a resource for people that wish to get outside and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Now and days our culture is addicted to screens, technology, and anything shiny. My hope is to convince you, or even challenge you, to get outside and enjoy nature on a regular basis. Do the same with your kids. Foster a love for being outdoors and spending time away from technology. There are so many great things to do and discover out there. The time you spend with family and friends outdoors is creating moments that will never be forgotten.
If you have any questions or suggestions, shoot me an email. I would love to hear your stories, experiences, and ideas. I promise that I read and personally respond to every single message I receive. I am genuinely looking forward to hearing from each and every one of my readers. You are the reason I am here.
Thanks and God Bless,
Chris MeaD
The Wanderful Wild
